Whatever Happens Here
by cchester1985
Summary: Katniss Everdeen is a college senior trying to adjust to life after a horrible accident tears her family apart. Peeta Mellark has not seen Katniss since the day they graduated high school and he entered the military. When they cross paths at a party, the two start a friendship that could possibly take them on a journey in life that neither one expects.
1. Prologue

**Authors Note: This is my very first attempt at writing fanfiction, ever! I want to thank MrsMellark74 for inspiring me to want to write and to face my fears and try writing for myself! She has been there to support me the entire way and I cannot begin to thank her enough for everything! If you have not checked out her writing, it is amazing! Especially her current WiP Guarding Daisies.**

**The prologue and the first chapter are kind of short, but future chapters will be considerably longer. I am very proud of this and I would really appreciate it if you would take a moment and leave me a review! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it!**

**All credit goes to Suzanne Collins. These are her characters and the world of The Hunger Games belongs to her.**

My life was pretty much what I considered to be "normal" until just a few months after my twentieth birthday. I had graduated from high school the previous year and I was in the fall semester of my sophomore year at The University of Panem. My sister Prim was in her junior year of high school, and about a month shy of her seventeenth birthday.

The night of my sisters marching band competition was the night that my world came crumbling down around me. Both of my parents had gone with her to watch, and I really wanted to go as well, but it was the night before one of my major exams and I really needed to study for it. I promised Prim that I would go to the next one for sure.

As the night drew on, I was getting drowsy from hours of studying, even though I was on my third cup of coffee. Just as I felt myself nodding off again, I was jolted awake by the sound of the phone ringing in the kitchen. I wondered who would be calling that late at night on the home phone line. I got up and answered it though, and the woman on the other end of the line told me that she worked at the hospital and that there had been an accident. She refused to give me much more in the way of details, but she asked if there was anyone who could come with me to the hospital immediately.

There was only one person I could think of who lived close enough and who I would want to come with me, and that was my friend Johanna Mason. After I hung up with the lady from the hospital, I immediately grabbed my cell phone and dialed Johanna's number. I told her what had just happened, and within five minutes, she and her boyfriend Gale were at my house and told me to get into the car. I figured having them drive me was the best idea because I couldn't stop shaking. Johanna was in the backseat when I got in and she wrapped her arms around me to comfort me during the entire ride to the hospital. We had been best friends since the first day of Kindergarten and were always there for each other no matter what.

When we arrived at the hospital, Gale dropped Johanna and me off at the emergency entrance and he went to park the car. She had her arm around my shoulder for support and never once moved it. As soon as we walked in, I gave my name and the lady at the desk asked me to follow her. There was also a policewoman there waiting for us which made my stomach drop and the shaking intensify. We followed them down a long hallway and the nurse motioned for us to sit down in a nearly empty family waiting room. They sat down with us and the policewoman explained that there had been a bad accident while my family was on their way home from the competition. A drunk driver in an extended cab pickup truck had crossed the yellow line and slammed head-on into my parent's car. My parents were killed immediately and Prim was up in emergency surgery. If Johanna had not been holding onto me I probably would have collapsed. I started sobbing uncontrollably. By that time Gale had already joined us in the waiting room and he wrapped his arms around both Johanna and me and just held us as we cried. The nurse and the policewoman eventually left us alone, but Johanna and Gale didn't go anywhere.

Three hours later I was informed that Prim was out of surgery, and that they were pretty sure that she would make it. However, she was going to be in the ICU for a while and she was paralyzed from the waist down. She also had suffered a concussion, was cut up and bruised pretty badly, and her right arm was broken. They let me go in to be with her so that I would be there when she woke up.

Johanna never left my side, and to this day I am still very thankful that she didn't. I don't know that I would have made it through the next hours, days, weeks and even years without her.

The following day my sister woke up just as the sun was beginning to rise, and with the support of Johanna and Gale, I broke the news to my sister of the loss of both of our parents. I laid down in the bed with Prim and held onto her as we cried together.

I had no idea what we were going to do, but I knew I had to be strong for my sister and I had to take care of her. She was still only 16 after all, and if I didn't take responsibility, the state would take her from me. There was no way I was going to let that happen. I had already lost my mom and dad. I was not going to lose Prim too; I couldn't live with myself if I did.

Johanna didn't want me to be alone after all that had just happened, so she came to stay with me for over a month at my house. She was there when I brought Prim home from the hospital and she stayed until the day my godfather Haymitch Abernathy sold his home and came to live in our house. He was Prim's godfather as well and he immediately knew he wanted to be there for us.

I had always known Haymitch was an alcoholic, so I never expected that to change. Haymitch was a retired Marine, just like my father was. They had been best friends since they were in elementary school. The difference between my father and Haymitch was that my father had his family to support him when he retired, and Haymitch, who lived alone, turned to alcohol. However, the night of the accident changed Haymitch as well. I guess, maybe it was knowing that a drunk had been the one to cause the accident and that a drunk was the one who took my parents' lives. Haymitch put down his drink that night and never picked one up again. It was hard for him at first. He went through withdrawals for weeks, but eventually he was okay without the alcohol.

Prim had a hard time adjusting to her new life in a wheelchair. Physically, she was pretty strong in her upper body from playing lots of sports growing up. But emotionally, she was devastated. She couldn't do the things she had been doing ever since she was little, like play sports and march with the band. She could still play her flute though, and she used music as an emotional release.

We also both started seeing a grief counselor together to help us in coping with the loss of our parents. Eventually, with the help of our family and friends we began to adapt to a new way of life. Not having our parents around was extremely hard, but Prim and I had each other and we were determined to make the best out of what life had dealt us.

A little over a year and a half after the tragic accident that took our parents lives', Prim graduated Summa Cum Laude from high school with a full ride scholarship to the University of Panem. She would finally be going to the same school as Johanna, Gale and I. The house that we had grown up in was only a few miles away from the college, so I had always just lived at home while I was in school. I had scholarships just like Prim, but I didn't get a full ride so it was just easier financially for me to live at home and not in the dorms. I also liked that I was able to be at home with Prim while she was still in high school, especially after our parents died. It really helped having Haymitch there, as he was basically a second father to us, but I still needed to be close to Prim. We needed each other after the accident more than ever. Prim, however, really wanted to live in the dorms to get the whole 'college experience' as she called it. She had the full ride scholarship to cover the cost so I told her that it was okay with me if she wanted to live on campus. I knew that we would still see each other all the time and she was close enough to home that she could come home whenever she wanted to. Thankfully the college was completely handicap accessible so there wouldn't be any issues with her being in a wheelchair.

Going into my senior year of college, I knew it was going to be a crazy year. On top of the classes that I still needed to take, I also had gotten an internship at the aquarium. I had majored in marine biology and really wanted to get a job after I graduated college training the dolphins at the aquarium. Ever since my class went on a field trip there in middle school, I knew that that was what I wanted to do when I grew up. Prim was planning on going into college with her major undeclared so that she could explore her options.

During the winter break that year, Johanna and Gale, who had moved into a townhouse together the summer before our senior year, told me that they were going to host a Christmas party this year and invited both Prim and I to come. Johanna told me that they were inviting some of their other friends as well. I knew what she was up to, of course. She had been trying to find me a boyfriend for the last six months or so.

I had dated a couple of guys in high school, but none of those relationships lasted more than a few months. After dating the guys for a few months, I had just known in my heart that it wasn't meant to be, and I wasn't interested in just dating for the fun of it. Deep down, I knew that when it was the right guy, I would know that he was the one I was meant to be with.

When I started college, I wasn't really looking for a boyfriend at the time because I was so busy with college classes and being in the marching band at the college took up a lot of my time after classes. Then, after the accident, I was not in the right mind to even begin thinking about dating again. Johanna didn't push it then either. She knew that it wasn't what I needed at the time and she respected that.

Now, however, Johanna was starting to push me into the dating world a little more because I was not getting any younger and she knew I was still a virgin. It wasn't that Johanna thought I needed to lose my virginity; she just wanted to see me finally find a man that I loved and who loved me in return. Being a virgin wasn't a big issue for me, though. I was saving that part of myself for the right man. I didn't want to lose my virginity just for the sake of it. Ever since I was a teenager I had promised myself that I wouldn't lose my virginity until I had a ring on my finger and I was truly in love. I wanted to at least be engaged before taking that big step.

Johanna and Gale had planned their big party for Christmas Eve night, and of course I had told her that Prim and I would be there. I hated to leave Haymitch all alone Christmas Eve night, but he assured me that he was absolutely fine with us going and he didn't want to stay up real late anyways. Prim and I were going to be at home with him all day on Christmas though. Christmas was always a day for family at our house and Haymitch was now the only family we had. Prim and I were both very thankful to have him in our lives.

**I am on twitter cchester1985. You can follow me there for updates on future chapters. As of right now, I plan on adding a new chapter every other Sunday.**


	2. Chapter 1

Christmas Eve night has finally arrived. I have been looking forward to this day for weeks. Johanna keeps telling me that this party is going to be one to remember. I really am hoping she is right. After all the stress I just went through this semester, I need a night out with my sister and some friends to just relax and have a good time. Haymitch, Prim and I spend the morning and early afternoon finishing up baking our Christmas cookies so that they will all be done before tonight as I am planning on taking a tray of cookies to the party.

As I glance out the window, I can see that the sun is setting in the sky which is my cue to start getting ready for the party. It starts at 7:00 and I still need to shower and get myself ready. Prim is already in her room getting herself ready. She is so excited about getting to go to this party. She doesn't get to go out as much as others her age due to the fact that she is wheelchair bound. She gets invited to go out with her friends a lot, but she often turns the invitations down. I think it's because she feels like she will be in the way. I tell her all the time that she can do anything she wants to do. As my father always used to say, "Where there is a will, there is a way!"

Looking at the clock, I see that it is going on 5:30 so I finish putting my cookie tray together, put it in a festive Christmas bag and tie it closed with red and green curled ribbon. Then I head down the hall to the bathroom to take my shower. By the time that I get out of the shower, Prim is already dressed in her new dress and has already gotten herself back into her wheelchair. As I am getting dressed in my new green sweater dress with my gray leggings and ballet flat dress shoes, Prim comes into my room.

"Hey sis, I was wondering if you would be willing to put the fancy braid in my hair that mom always used to do?" Prim asks me with a hopeful look on her face.

I turn around so that I am facing her. She looks beautiful and so grown up in her new dress. It's hard to believe that my baby sister isn't a baby anymore. She just turned 18 on September 25th.

"Sure I will! That braid will look beautiful on you tonight, especially with this dress. Just give me a few minutes to finish putting on my makeup and then I will braid your hair while my curling iron is heating up." I reply with a smile letting her know that I don't mind doing her hair at all.

This braid has basically been passed down through the women in our family, my grandmother used to braid my mother's hair like this for her. My mother even had her hair in this braid the day she married my father, and when Prim and I were growing up she used to braid our hair this way for special occasions.

After I finish up with my makeup, I pull her wheelchair over to the edge of my bed so that I can sit behind her to braid her hair. Her long blonde hair which falls past the middle of her back is already brushed out and still slightly damp from her shower.

"Thank you for doing this for me Katniss!" Prim tells me as I start the intricate braid.

"You are most welcome, Prim! I love how this looks on you and I love doing your hair!" I reply with a tone of sincerity.

I finish up Prim's hair by securing it with a bunch of bobby pins and then spraying it all over with hairspray. Then I stand up and walk around so that I am facing her. I give her a huge smile and then bend down so that I can give her a hug.

"You look so beautiful Prim!" I tell her with a tear in my eye. It's times like these that I miss my mother the most. I miss my father terribly too, but this is just one of those moments that in my heart I know would be a true mother-daughter moment. I hate that my parents are not going to see Prim and I grow up and that they will not be here for so many of the milestones in life, like our graduations, our weddings, and our children's lives.

As I pull away from our embrace and stand back up, I can see tears forming in Prim's eyes as well.

"What's wrong sis?" I ask her in a concerned tone, bending down so that I am face to face with her and putting my hands on her shoulders.

"It's…it's….it's just that I miss mom so much! Mom and dad! I hate that they're not here with us! But at the same time, I'm so grateful that I have you here with me and that you take such good care of me! I don't know where I would be without you." Prim exclaims before the tears start to fall down her cheeks.

"Oh Prim!" I say, the tears welling up in my eyes as well. I reach down and take each one of her hands in my own before beginning. "Prim, believe me, I know! This is very hard for me as well, not having mom and dad around anymore. I never imagined that they wouldn't be around to see us grow up! The holidays make it especially hard because holidays are a time for family, and our family is not the same without them around. But what keeps me going is thinking of what I do have, especially you and Haymitch, and our friends that are always there for us. I also know that mom and dad wouldn't want us to stop living just because they are not here with us. I want them to be proud of us and of who we will become. And as for you and me, we will always have each other! I am so glad that I have you as my sister. I don't even want to think about what I would have done if you had died in that accident too!"

As I embrace Prim in another hug, we are both crying on each other's shoulders and we just stay that way for a few minutes. Then all of a sudden there is a knock on my bedroom door.

"Katniss? Prim? Are you alright?" Haymitch asks through my closed bedroom door. He must have heard us crying from upstairs in his room.

I let Prim go after a reassuring squeeze and stand up to go open the door.

"Yeah, Haymitch we are okay now. We were getting ready to go over to Johanna's and Gale's place and started missing mom and dad. We just had a sister talk and I think we are okay now though." I say looking back to Prim and giving her a smile, even though the tears are still staining both of our cheeks.

Haymitch walks over to Prim and motions with his arm for me to come over to him. When we are both close enough, he wraps one arm around each of us and tells us, "I love you girls both so much! I know I'm not your dad, and I can't bring your parents back to you, but I will always love you both as if you were my own children. And I will always be here for you and support you. I hope you both know how much you mean to me!"

"We love you too Haymitch!" Prim and I both say at the exact same time.

"Haymitch, you mean a lot to us too! We were both a mess emotionally after the accident and you brought us back a sense of family, even if it's a different family. You will always be a dad to us! The way I look at it, Prim and I have two dads now, one here with us and one up in heaven watching over us." I tell Haymitch as I take his hand and Prim's hand and give them both a squeeze before letting them go.

Haymitch stands up and looks at both of us saying, "Now don't you both have a party to go to and have a great time at?"

"Yes we do!" Prim says excitedly.

"But first we have to finish getting ready and fix our makeup now that our tears have ruined what we have on." I reply going over to my dresser to start curling my hair.

Haymitch goes back out to the living room to give us room to get ready and Prim goes back to her room to reapply her makeup.

It doesn't take me too long to reapply my own makeup or curl my hair, as it is naturally wavy anyways. So before we know it, we are getting our coats on and wishing Haymitch an early Merry Christmas, promising him that we will be careful and not be home real late. He gives us both a hug and a kiss on the cheek, tells us he loves us, and lets us be on our way.

"And don't forget to take your cookies!" Haymitch tells me as I am about to walk out the door. I smile and tell him thanks before handing the tray of cookies to Prim to hold so that I can push her wheelchair out to the van.


	3. Chapter 2

**I want to say thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this fanfic so far! I also want to especially thank MrsMellark74, Ldyglfr62, and TeamPeetaGirlie for taking the time to leave a review. I am touched by how many people are following this as this is my first time writing anything other than papers for school. I am already many chapters into writing this and I am really looking forward to sharing the rest of this story with you all.**

****IMPORTANT****

**There are many characters introduced in this chapter and some of them are in the military. While much of what I talk about that these characters go through is based off of my knowledge (I am part of a very large military family and I have nothing but the utmost respect and honor for those who are currently serving and who have served in the past), due to the fact that this is a work of Fiction, some things have been altered from reality to accommodate the characters and the story, as well as the names of some places. There is also some description of PTSD in this chapter and there will be more in future chapters. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know! You can always find me on tumblr and twitter as cchester1985 and I welcome PM's too.**

**Also, there is some text messaging between characters in this story, and the names of the people sending the text messages are in bold.**

**Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

"I am so excited that we both got invited to this party Katniss!" Prim tells me as we are turning onto the street that Johanna and Gale live on. "It's not every day that I get invited to go to a party with a bunch of college seniors! Are any of your other friends going to be there?"

"Like who?" I ask. "I think you basically know all of my friends. I don't have that many, just a few close friends and you already know them."

"Oh, I don't know. Are there any boys in the picture that you haven't told me about?" Prim asks with curiosity.

I can't help but chuckle at this. "You are starting to sound more and more like Johanna every day!"

Looking back in the rearview mirror I can see that Prim is smiling to herself.

"I just want you to be happy sis. You have done so much for me these last couple of years. I want you to be happy to."

Pulling into a handicap parking space just outside Johanna's townhouse, I put the van in park and undo my seatbelt so that I can turn around in my seat and face Prim.

"Prim, I know these last two years have been really hard on both of us. And I know that I'm not always the happiest person, but believe me when I say this. I am so glad that I have you by my side going through everything we've went through since the accident. I love you more than I could ever express in words. I will _always_ love you and take care of you. And even if I do meet and possibly fall in love with a guy in the future, nothing and no one will ever make me want to stop being around you and caring for you and loving you! You are my sister and no one can change that! Sisters are forever!"

"I love you too, sis! Sister's forever."

"Sister's forever. Now, if you are ready, let's go to this party!" I say, giving Prim a huge smile and opening my door to get out of the van. I walk around to the other side of the van and open the sliding door so that I can hit the button that works the wheelchair lift.

The wheelchair accessible van was a gift from Haymitch to me after the accident. He knew that I would need to be able to get Prim around in her wheelchair and it has been a lifesaver. I don't know how I would have been able to take her to school or anywhere she needs to go without this van. It makes it so much easier that I don't have to constantly get her in and out of her wheelchair. The van just lifts her wheelchair with her in it right into the van with the push of a button.

As I am pulling Prim's wheelchair back and off of the lift, I hear our names from behind me.

"Katniss! Prim! Oh now the party has arrived!" Gale says laughing as I turn around!

"Yup, now that we're here, the real party can get started!" I reply with confidence.

"Let me help you." Gale offers, taking the handles of Prim's wheelchair and pushing it toward the door. I grab the tray of cookies, lock up the van, and follow Gale to the door.

Just as I am walking through the door, Johanna wraps her arms around me in a hug. "Merry Christmas, Katniss!"

"Merry Christmas Johanna!" I say before letting go and handing Johanna the tray of homemade cookies.

"All, these! For me! You really shouldn't have!" Johanna jokes.

"Ha Ha! Isn't Christmas about sharing with others and not being selfish?" I tease her.

"Well come on in. I can take your coats. Do you two want something to drink?" Gale offers.

"I'll just have a glass of water for now." I respond.

"Umm, I'll have a...Rue! Oh my God! I didn't know you were going to be here!" Prim exclaims right in the middle of telling Gale what she would like to drink.

Rue is Prim's best friend. They have known each other since they were three, and have pretty much been in the same classes all through school. Rue was the very first friend to come visit Prim in the hospital, and visited her nearly every day after that. I have always told them that if I didn't know any better, I would think they are attached at the hip.

"Johanna called me and invited me last week and told me she wanted it to be a surprise so I couldn't say anything to you." Rue explains to Prim while giving her a hug and rocking each other side to side. "It was so hard keeping it a secret from you, but Johanna thought you might be more comfortable if you had a close friend here too! Merry Christmas Prim!"

"Merry Christmas Rue!" Prim replies with a look of happiness on her face that I haven't seen in quite a while. "And thank you Johanna!"

Johanna is truly the older sister that Prim and I never had. She's always there for us.

Johanna gives me a knowing wink, which I reply to with a silent _thank you_.

Taking my hand, Johanna leads me into the living room saying, "And now it's time for some introductions, or should I say reintroductions."

As we walk into the living room, I see three people sitting on the sectional talking animatedly with each other. The sectional wraps around the living room and faces the big screen TV and the brightly lit and beautifully decorated Christmas tree. When they all notice that we are standing there they stand up and turn around to greet us.

I am beyond shocked at who I see standing in front of me. One of them, who I instantly recognize as Finnick Odair, I have not seen since the day of my mom and dad's funeral. The other two, I never did know very well, but I still immediately know who they are. The girl who is standing on one side of Finnick is Annie Cresta, and the guy on the other side of Finnick is Peeta Mellark. I have not seen either of them since we graduated high school.

"Katniss! You're here! Merry Christmas!" Finnick says cheerfully making his was around to the back of the sectional to where I am still standing to embrace me in a welcoming hug.

As Finnick takes a step back, he holds his arm out motioning for Annie to step over and he wraps his arm around her waist. "Katniss, you remember Annie, right? Well she used to be Annie Cresta, but as of seven months ago, I am proud to say she is Annie Odair!"

"Yeah, I remember. Hi Annie! Merry Christmas!" I greet her as she holds her arms out and gives me a hug. I can't say that I know her or much about her, but if she is Finnick's wife, I'm sure I'll like her once I get to know her better. And she seems very friendly as well.

"Congratulation's to both of you! Finnick, why didn't you tell me? I had no idea that you got married! I'm so happy for you!" I tell both of them with a sincere smile.

"It was almost a spur of the moment thing, really. I'll explain everything in just a moment. Not everyone here has heard the story yet anyways." Finnick replies.

Then Peeta walks right up to me and gives me a hug. "Merry Christmas Katniss! I'm very glad you came!"

"Merry Christmas Peeta!" I say hugging him back.

I am a little surprised by his words though. I can't remember ever really talking to Peeta much in school. We were basically just classmates growing up. We were in two completely different social circles. Peeta was a sports fanatic, and so he was always hanging out with his teammates, whether it be his soccer friends or his basketball friends. I was more quiet and reserved and kept to myself most of the time. My only really close friends growing up were Finnick and Johanna until Gale moved here during our junior year. Within a month of Gale starting at our school, he and Johanna started dating and Gale became my friend through Johanna.

Once everyone has greeted each other, we all go into the living room and sit down on the sectional to talk and catch up on the last few years of our lives. Thankfully the sectional is huge so that we all fit on it. Gale takes the seat at the far end, and Johanna of course sits right next to him. Annie takes the seat on Johanna's left and Finnick sits on her other side. I decided to take the seat to the left of Finnick which leaves Peeta to take the seat to my left. I can't help but notice that Peeta and I are the only ones here without a date, but I don't point it out.

I quickly glance around wondering where Prim is, and I see her and Rue sitting at the kitchen table talking and decorating some sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles. I'm not sure who made them, Johanna maybe.

Finnick is the first to speak up and begins to tell the story of how he and Annie got together and ended up as husband and wife this past May.

After we graduated high school, Finnick immediately shipped off for basic training with the Air Force in San Antonio, Texas at Jabberjay Air Force Base. Ever since our freshman year of high school, all Finnick could talk about was becoming a pilot in the Air Force. After he completed his tech school, he ended up stationed at Mockingjay Air Base in Germany for four years. He is still currently stationed there but was able to use some of his leave to come home to visit his family and friends for Christmas and New Year's.

Finnick then tells us that it's actually being in the Air Force that brought him and Annie together. After we graduated, Annie enlisted in the Air Force as well, mainly as a way to help with her college education. She didn't enlist as early as Finnick though, so they did not go off to basic at the same time. After she graduated from basic training and completed all three phases of her tech school, she was officially a cardio-pulmonary technician. Annie was then also stationed at Mockingjay Air Base, but only for two years.

Annie and Finnick explain that the reason they got engaged and married so quickly is that it was nearing the end of her two years at Mockingjay and she was going to be sent back stateside. They had been dating each other since Annie arrived at Mockingjay and they loved each other. They did not want to be split up. Their only chance of remaining stationed at Mockingjay together would be if they quickly got married. Finnick proposed and within a month they were married. Finnick says that he was planning on popping the question anyways. The Air Force just sped up the whole thing.

After Finnick and Annie finish catching everybody up on what has been going on it their lives, Gale and Johanna talk a little bit about what has been going on with them in their lives with their relationship and their college majors. Johanna is going to be a high school English teacher and is about to start her student teaching and Gale is majoring in accounting. They have been dating since we were juniors in high school, but neither of them has ever seemed to want to rush into marriage.

Gale then stands up holding his champagne and offers a toast to Christmas, friendship and family. After everyone is done toasting each other with whatever each person happens to be drinking at the time, everyone sits back down, everyone that is, except for Gale.

With everyone's eyes now focused on Gale, he drops down to one knee. Even Rue and Prim notice what is going on and Rue pushes Prims chair over into the living room. Gales takes Johanna's hands in his and tells her how much he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Gale then reaches into his left pants pocket and pulls out a small blue ring box.

"Johanna I love you more than life itself and I don't want to spend another year as just boyfriend and girlfriend. I've waited long enough. Will you marry me?" Gale asks with a hopeful look to Johanna.

"I will!" Gale takes the ring out of the box, and slides it onto her ring finger. He pulls her to her feet where they exchange a passionate kiss while we all burst out in applause.

With tears in both of their eyes, and still tightly locked in their embrace, Johanna says, "Now I have a question for you. What in the world took you so long?"

Gale looks taken aback, but Johanna just reaches up and wraps her arms lovingly around his neck and murmurs, "Just kidding sweetheart."

"I wanted to wait for a perfect moment like this one where all of our friends are here and I have lots of witnesses just in case no one would believe me!" Gale answers her as they both start laughing.

After everyone congratulates Gale and Johanna and tells them how happy they are for them, we all decide to take a break and have our dinner.

Johanna and Gale have prepared a whole fiesta for everyone.

"We wanted to spice things up and not just go with the usual turkey or ham." Johanna tells me.

"I love the idea. Mexican has always been one of my favorite types of food." I assure her.

They have it set up buffet style on the kitchen island with everything you could possibly need for chicken tacos, refried beans, Mexican rice, and corn casserole. We all get into a single file line to make our plates up. I get in line with Prim so that I can help her reach everything and make up her plate.

We all eat our dinner at the kitchen table and then gather back in the living room to pick up where we left off. Since they have already finished decorating the cookies, Rue and Prim also join us.

Peeta is the next to volunteer to talk about what has been going on in his life since we graduated. Since I never really knew him or much about him, I have no idea what he has been doing. Peeta was always so popular in school that I am a little surprised he is not engaged or married by now, but there isn't a ring on his finger and he didn't bring anyone with him.

As Peeta starts to share, I learn that after we graduated he also enlisted in the Air Force and began his training to be a pararescue jumper, or a PJ for short. PJ's are the Air Force elite and go through a very rigorous training regimen. Even after all that they have to go through and endure; only the best of the best are chosen to be PJ's. Peeta tells us that their motto is "that others may live." PJ's are trained in combat search and rescue.

Upon graduating from basic training, Peeta went through over two years of special advanced training, during which he was chosen to be a PJ. He was then deployed last November to Afghanistan for six months.

While he was over there he was pretty seriously injured once when a roadside bomb went off. The force of the impact ended up causing a concussion along with some temporary memory loss. He didn't even realize how bad it actually was until the next morning when he woke up and didn't remember where he was or who the people with him were. He was transported to a military medical center where he had to go through a few weeks of what he describes as 'brain rehab.' Eventually he was able to go back to his unit and he didn't have any complications from the injury that affected his duties as a PJ.

Upon returning home from Afghanistan, Peeta had some difficulties transitioning back into his normal life. The Air Force gave him almost a month off which gave him some time to rest and recover and to readjust to his everyday life. However, he started to notice that things were different than they were before he left. Sometimes he would get confused or sidetracked and any loud noises that he heard made him very alert and worried for his life and the lives of those around him. He also was having a very hard time sleeping through the night and he was having a lot of terrifying nightmares. He would often wake up screaming during the night in a cold sweat.

Peeta ended up making an appointment with his doctor who explained to him that he was suffering from something that a lot of veterans of war suffer from, an anxiety disorder that is known as posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD for short. His doctor referred him to a psychologist and he started meeting with her every week. She explained to him that having his friends and family around for support was very important and that it would help tremendously if he could find ways to relax and start doing activities that he enjoyed doing. She also told him that if he could talk to her and his family about what he was feeling, it might make him feel better as well.

He explains that he has always enjoyed painting and helping out his dad at their family bakery, Mellark's Bakery. So he began painting and baking again, and eventually some of the symptoms of PTSD started to fade, but they never really went away completely for him.

I have heard a little about this before in my psychology 101 class, but I have never really understood how serious of a thing PTSD is until now. Based on the looks on my friend's faces, I am pretty sure that they didn't really know too much about PTSD either.

Finally, Peeta tells us that he is currently going on more training missions around the country as preparation for his upcoming second deployment this spring.

After learning about what Peeta has just went through in the last three and a half years, I find myself wondering why we never really got to know each other before now. He seems interesting enough, and I'm starting to think that maybe I have misjudged and labeled him too harshly.

Last but not least, it's my turn to share what my life has been like since we graduated. I am very grateful that Finnick, Rue, Johanna and Gale already know what it has been like for Prim and I since the accident. During dinner, Johanna told me quietly that she explained to Peeta about the accident before Prim and I arrived tonight. Finnick also told me that he has talked to Annie about what we have been through. Therefore, I do not have to talk about that. It's Christmas Eve, and I really don't want to make myself all upset by reliving the accident. I also don't want to bring it up with Prim around if I can help it. She deserves to have a good time out tonight with friends, and I don't want her to get upset either.

Instead of talking about all of the bad things Prim and I have gone through, I tell everyone about how college is going well. I also talk about how much I am really enjoying my internship at the aquarium. I absolutely love working with the dolphins there. I'm basically getting paid to do what I love; it doesn't even feel like work.

Prim and Rue even talk for a few minutes about how much they love their freshman year, and all of the freedom that comes from not living at home. Rue is majoring in environmental science and Prim still isn't one hundred percent sure what she wants to major in, but she is leading towards child development and psychology.

"Who's in the mood for some eggnog and homemade Christmas cookies?" Gale asks everyone.

There is a resounding chorus of "me" from everyone in the room.

"I'll help you get them." Johanna says standing up to follow Gale around the corner into the kitchen.

"We get it. Go have your alone time for a few minutes." Finnick teases as Johanna goes around the corner.

"We are coming right back. Geez guys! Give us a break!" Gale replies from the kitchen as the rest of us burst out laughing.

A few minutes later Gale comes back carrying a tray with eight glasses of eggnog on it, followed by Johanna who is carrying a huge tray of beautifully decorated Christmas cookies. Some of them I recognize as ones that Prim and I brought and some of them are the ones that Prim and Rue were decorating earlier. However there are a bunch of other cookies that look as if they are cut out pictures of a fancy Christmas cookie cookbook.

"Who made these beautifully decorated cookies?" I ask Johanna.

"Peeta, of course!"

"Wow! These are beautiful! They look like miniature works of art!" I tell Peeta. "I had no idea that you are such an amazing baker."

"Thank you!" Peeta says. "I'm a pretty good baker if I do say so myself, but my favorite thing to do at the bakery is the frosting. I've been painting since I was little, and frosting is basically painting on food."

"Well, you are really good at it." I tell him

"Thank you. Do you know what the best thing is about decorating cookies is?" Peeta questions me.

"No. What?"

"Getting to eat them afterwards!" Peeta grins at me grabbing one of my cookies and taking a bite as I grab one of his cookies to try.

"Hmm! And apparently I'm not the only good baker here either." Peeta says after finishing his cookie. "These are really good, Katniss!"

I can't help but blush. "Thank you! I had help though. Prim and Haymitch both helped me with these."

Peeta turns to Prim and gives her a smile. "Well then Prim, you are becoming quite the baker as well! And you did an amazing job decorating my sugar cookies earlier with Rue! Thank you for helping me out!"

Prim gives Peeta a shy smile. "Thank you Peeta! And you're welcome! Thanks for bringing them for us to decorate. Rue and I had a lot of fun decorating them."

"Anytime." Peeta tells her.

I am surprised to learn that it was Peeta who made and brought the sugar cookies for Rue and Prim to decorate. Peeta didn't even know Rue or Prim before tonight and yet he was thinking about them having something fun to do here while the rest of us were catching up with each other.

I've only just started to get to know a little about Peeta in the last couple hours, and I'm finding myself wondering what would happen if we were to start hanging out and spending more time together.

I turn to Peeta. "Thank you for doing that for them, Peeta. That was really sweet of you to think about them. I didn't even know you knew I had a younger sister."

"Of course I knew. We've only been going to school together since kindergarten. And besides, Prim was a freshmen in high school when we were seniors, remember?" Peeta asks me.

"Oh, that's right. I didn't even think about that." I admit.

"I used to see you both together in the halls all the time." He admits, with a bashful expression on his face. "You were both in the marching band right? You play the trumpet and Prim plays the flute?"

"Yeah. I guess you can say that we are both band geeks." I reply with a laugh. "I also play the trumpet in the University marching band as well."

"Wow! That is awesome! So you must be really, really good!"

As Peeta and I start talking, I see Gale, Johanna, Finnick and Annie silently get up and follow each other into the kitchen. Just as Johanna is disappearing around the corner she turns around and winks at me. Rue gets up as well and pushes Prims chair out of the living room and back to the kitchen as Rue grabs a deck of cards for them to use. What was just moments ago a party of eight, has turned into a party of two, and surprising I don't mind being left alone with Peeta.

"Umm….yeah, I guess I am a pretty good trumpet player." I tell him quite bashfully, not wanting to brag on myself. "My parents both loved music. We have a piano at home and my mom used to play all the time. As soon as Prim and I were both old enough, they started introducing us to different instruments until we both chose one that interested us."

"Katniss, if you made the University marching band, I'm guessing that you are more than pretty good! Remind me to have you play for me sometime." Peeta tells me, giving me a genuine look of interest.

"Alright. I will." I say. I'm starting to realize that he knows more about me than I ever imagined him knowing. It's almost as if he was paying attention to me while we were in school. But that seems odd, seeing as how we never even really spoke with each other.

"How about you?" I find myself asking him. Now that I am aware that he knows some things about me, I can't help but be curious about him. "I remember you have at least one brother, right?"

"Two actually, they are both older than me though. I'm the baby of the family. Rye is two years older than I am, so you might have seen him when we were in high school. Caleb, however, is five years older than me, so I don't think you have ever seen him." He tells me.

"I do remember that you were on the soccer and basketball teams in school. Quite the star too, if I remember correctly?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at both sports, I guess." He tells me, using the same words I used to describe myself. Then he gives me a playful wink. "I'm not just a sports nut though; I'm also really into art, especially painting. I've been painting ever since I was five."

"Really?" I ask. I'm actually surprised by this. "I never would have guessed that you were a painter. You'll have to show me some of your work. I'd like to see it."

"I will."

Peeta looks up at me, smiles, and then gazes down towards the floor folding his own hands together as if he is thinking about something. Then after a few quiet and slightly awkward moments, he raises his head and looks back up at me.

"You know…I was just thinking, don't you find it a little strange that we have always went to school together and we even share some of the same friends, but until tonight, we have never talked for more than maybe two minutes in our entire lives."

I have to admit to myself that I have been thinking about the very same thing since we arrived here tonight. "Yeah, I guess it does seem strange." I admit to him. "I guess I never in a million years thought that you would be interested in talking to me. I am quiet and I have always kept mostly to myself and you are the complete opposite. You were always surrounded by a very large group of friends. And even though we are both friends with Finnick, I guess we just never spent time with him at the same time."

"Yeah I guess that's true. But Katniss, even though I was constantly surrounded by my teammates, that doesn't mean that I didn't know you existed. Actually quite the opposite is true. I have noticed you more than I think you ever realized."

This shocks me. To think that he noticed me all the time…surely not. I always thought that he was interested in girls that were more popular, not girls like me who tried their best not to stand out in a crowd.

"You….you noticed me?" I ask him, slightly puzzled by his confession.

He has his eyes locked on mine now. "Of course I did. How could I not notice you? You are beautiful Katniss, you always have been. Believe it or not Katniss, but I noticed you every day starting with the first day of kindergarten. Your hair was in two braids and you had on a red plaid dress. That day, our teacher asked the class if anyone knew 'The Valley Song' and your hand shot straight up in the air. You stood up in front of the class and when you started to sing, I swear even the birds stopped to listen. I knew at that moment that I was a goner. I always wanted to talk to you and tell you how I felt about you, but I just couldn't build up the courage I needed to do so. I admired you from afar for thirteen years. Then once we graduated I thought I had lost my chance forever. And when I enlisted, I didn't know if I would ever see you again. I have thought about you every day though."

I am completely caught off guard by this confession. Peeta, Peeta Mellark has thought about me every day since the first day of kindergarten and yet we have never spoken with each other before tonight. If his eyes were not staring straight into mine and dead serious right now, I would have no doubt in my mind that he is just joking with me. But something deep down tells me that he is not joking, that he is telling me how he truly feels.

Not knowing how to respond to Peeta's surprising confession, I drop my gaze to my hands which are folded in my lap. I just sit there in silence for a moment, still trying to process everything Peeta has just told me.

The next thing I know, I feel a warm hand on top of mine, which are still linked together. Peeta has placed his right hand over mine giving them a reassuring squeeze. Taking a deep breath, I turn my head to the left and once again meet his gaze.

"Please don't shut me out Katniss. I didn't mean to startle or scare you, but I know this might be my only chance to tell you what I should have told you so many years ago, and I just couldn't let this opportunity pass me by again. In a way, I feel like this party that Johanna and Gale put together was fate, or at the very least a chance at getting to know you better. Gale has Johanna, Finnick has Annie, and even Prim and Rue have each other as friends, but you and I are here solo."

"I noticed that as well." I confess to him.

Without breaking away from the gaze he still has locked on my eyes, Peeta continues, "So what I am wondering is…would you be interested in maybe being friends, well at least for now? That way we can spend some time together and get to know each other better without any pressure. And then if you can honestly tell me that you don't feel anything for me other than just wanting to be friends, I can live with that. I promise that I will not pressure you in any way or to go any further than you are willing to go."

We both sit in silence for a moment before I say anything in response. Our eyes are still locked and I can see that he is waiting for me to reply. He also has a very hopeful look on his face, which I personally think is cute.

"I…I think I would like that. So…friends?"

"Friends." Peeta answers with a smile from ear to ear. "Do you have any plans for the day after Christmas?"

"Umm, no not as of right now." I reply.

"Ok then, would you be interesting in joining me for the afternoon at Central Panem Park? We could go ice skating together and just talk and catch up some more."

With the knowledge that Peeta isn't looking for anything more than friendship right now, this time I don't hesitate to give him an answer right away. "That sounds like fun! I haven't been ice skating in almost two years."

"That sounds like a plan then!" Peeta says with enthusiasm.

The rest of the night seems to fly by. Peeta and I join everyone else in the kitchen where Johanna gives me a knowing smile. We all decide to end the night by gathering back in the living room where we play a Christmas trivia card game that Annie has brought with her. We all divide up into teams of two, Gale is with Johanna, Finnick is with Annie, Prim is with Rue, and Peeta and I are a team. Finnick and Annie win the first round, and Peeta and I win the second and third rounds.

"Where did you learn so much about the history of Christmas?" Peeta asks me.

"Oh. Well, my dad always loved Christmas, and he used to teach me a lot about it when I was younger. He had a couple of books about the history and traditions of Christmas that he always used to read to me." I tell him in reply. My gaze drops for a minute as I remember those good memories of my father and I huddled together in front of the fireplace as he would read me his stories.

Peeta must see the look on my face because he puts his arm around me in an embrace and whispers, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up painful memories of your dad."

"It's alright. They are painful memories, but at the same time they are good and happy memories of things that I used to enjoy every Christmas. Now, I guess we get to make new memories, right?" I tell him as a slight smile returns to my face.

"Yep! And this night is going to be another good memory in what I hope is a long list of good memories for you to remember in the future."

"I hope so too, this has definitely been a night that I will not soon forget. Thanks Peeta!"

As we are all getting ready to head back out into the chilly night air, we all give each other hugs goodbye and exchange phone numbers so that we can keep in touch. We also thank Gale and Johanna for inviting us all to the party and congratulate them again on their engagement.

Gale goes to his bedroom and retrieves our coats. I help Prim get hers on and then Peeta helps me slip mine on.

After a second round of goodbye hugs, Peeta offers to walk Prim and I out to our van and I accept. Prim is already starting to fall asleep and I know that she will be out like a light as soon as I get her home. She isn't used to staying up this late. She is the complete opposite of me when it comes to sleep. I am a night owl and she is an early bird.

As I push her wheelchair along the sidewalk I can see that Prim's eyes are fighting to stay open, so as soon as we get to the van, I hit the buttons on the remote to unarm it and open the door that brings the wheelchair lift out. Peeta leans down to give Prim a final hug and he wishes her a Merry Christmas. As the van lifts her chair inside and the door closes I tell her to just rest and I will get in in just a moment.

Peeta follows me around to the driver's side door, and before I can open it, he holds his arms out to give me a hug. I walk into them, and he just holds me for a moment as he whispers to me a quiet thank you for allowing his dream of nearly fifteen years to come true. Then he wishes me a Merry Christmas and promises that he will call me tomorrow to tell me himself on Christmas. I'm sure that he just can't wait until we can talk again, and I find myself thinking the same thing. I never expected that I would meet a guy at this party, let alone Peeta Mellark, but now I feel that I owe a big thank you to Johanna for inviting him. I'm not sure right now if we will ever be more than friends, but I am open-minded and willing to see where this friendship will lead.

Peeta opens the door for me, and after I get in he closes it telling me goodnight and to drive safe. He stands on the sidewalk and waves as I back out and start to drive home. I drive along in silence for a minute or so, believing that Prim has fallen asleep, before I hear her speak up from behind me.

"Katniss?"

"Yeah, sis?"

"I'm glad that you found a friend in Peeta tonight. I think he will be good for you."

I can't help but smile to myself at her words. "I'm glad I did too, Prim,"

"Thank you again for bringing me to this party! I had a lot of fun with everyone, especially Rue. I am so exhausted now though, I don't think I will be waking up early tomorrow. I think I am going to fall asleep as soon as my head hits my pillow." Prim says in a very quiet and sleepy voice.

"You are so welcome Prim! I am very glad that you had a good time tonight. You deserved it." I say, as I take a quick glance in my rearview mirror and notice that although Prim's eyes are shut, she is smiling.

"We will be home in a couple of minutes and I will help you get ready for bed right away." I promise her.

Once I have helped Prim get changed into her pajamas and settled into her bed, I give her a kiss on the cheek and make my way to my own bedroom. Within a couple of minutes I am crawling under my own covers. I close my eyes but I find myself going back over the private conversation Peeta and I had tonight. That's when I hear the chime come from my cell phone on my night stand indicating that I have just received a text message. As I grab my phone, I see that Peeta is the one texting me.

**PEETA**: I just want to make sure that you made it back home safely.

I can't help but smile at this. He truly does care about me I think. So I quickly type him a response.

**KATNISS**: Yes we did! Thank you for checking though. It means a lot that you care enough to do that.

**PEETA**: You're welcome Katniss! Of course I care. Goodnight Katniss! Sweet Dreams!

**KATNISS**: Goodnight Peeta! Sleep tight!

**Thank you again for taking the time to read this fanfic! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed this fanfic so far! I'm very excited that you are all reading this and interested in finding out what is going to happen in future chapters! I am working on writing as often as my life allows and I can't wait to share the rest of this fanfic with all of you!**

**I also want to say a special thank you to Hercygent Stars, Tiffany.4.81, and . for taking the time to review the previous chapter! I love reading your reviews and I hope that you all continue to review this fanfic!**

**As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know! You can always find me on tumblr and twitter as cchester1985 and I welcome PM's too. **

On Christmas morning, neither Prim nor I wake up early like we usually do. We are both too exhausted from staying out late the night before. Haymitch, of course, wakes up with the sun like he always has and makes us all homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Having homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning is a tradition that my parents started when I was a toddler and Haymitch was more than happy to continue that tradition when he came to live with us after our parents died.

It's actually the smell of the cinnamon rolls baking that wakes me up, I think. When I realize that it's after ten o'clock, I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and then go to Prims room to see if she is awake. I can see that she isn't, so I wake her up and wish her Merry Christmas. Once Prim has gotten up and used the bathroom, we follow the scent of the cinnamon rolls to the kitchen and wish Haymitch a Merry Christmas.

As we eat our delicious breakfast, Prim and I both tell Haymitch about last night's party. Prim starts talking so fast that I can barely keep up and before I know it, she has told Haymitch about me making a new friend at the party. After that I have no choice but to tell Haymitch about my new friend Peeta, not that I would have kept Peeta a secret anyways. Haymitch pretty much knows everything that goes on in our lives because we are very open with him.

After breakfast, we all gather around the tree to open our gifts. Then we spend the rest of the day together having some peaceful family time. We play board games for a while and then watch 'The Santa Clause' followed by 'A Christmas Story' together. As far back as I can remember it has always been a tradition in my family to watch those two movies together on Christmas.

In between the two movies, we take a quick break. Haymitch makes us all hot chocolate and Prim pops some popcorn for us to snack on. I stoke the fire in the fireplace and then sit back down in front of the fire and wait for Haymitch and Prim to return from the kitchen. While I am waiting, I feel my cell phone start to vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and see that the call is from Peeta.

"Hello!"

"Merry Christmas Katniss!"

"Merry Christmas Peeta! Thank you for calling! That is very thoughtful of you!"

"I told you last night that I would. I wanted to be able to tell you myself on Christmas. Are you having a good Christmas so far?"

"Yeah I am! It's pretty quiet here, as it's just me, Prim and Haymitch. We are just doing some family things together like playing board games and watching a few Christmas movies. How about you? Are you having a good Christmas?"

"Yeah, it's been a pretty good day so far. Ever since my parents got divorced, we've been getting together at my older brother Caleb's house. He is married and they have two identical two-year-old girls. Rye is also married and they have a little boy who was just born this past summer. Everyone just finished eating dinner and my family and I are all just relaxing and hanging out in their den. The kids are all swimming in new presents."

"Awwh! I'm sure you are great with kids." I tell him. It's not hard for me to imagine Peeta with children. There's no doubt in my mind that one day he will be an amazing father.

"I'm really glad to hear that you are having a good Christmas! Well, I won't keep you, I just wanted to tell you Merry Christmas and see how your day was going."

"Thank you for calling, Peeta. I'm really glad you did. Umm… are we still on for tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I hope so! I think it will be a lot of fun to spend the afternoon together at Central Panem Park. What do you think would be a good time for me to pick you up?"

"Maybe around eleven o'clock. Does that work for you?"

"That sounds perfect. I'll be at your house at eleven then. You still live on Hemlock right?"

"Um, yeah…how did you know what street I live on?"

"Finnick told me once years ago and I didn't forget."

I can almost hear him smiling to himself. Peeta really did pay attention to me. I am still amazed by this.

"Oh ok. Yeah its 44 Hemlock."

"Well Katniss I guess I will see you tomorrow morning at eleven then. Have a good evening!"

"You too Peeta! Thanks again for calling! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"You're going to see who tomorrow?" Haymitch asks carrying a try with three large steaming mugs of hot chocolate on it.

"She's going to spend the afternoon at Central Panem Park with Peeta tomorrow!" Prim explains to Haymitch before I get the chance to reply.

"Ohhhh! That's exciting!" Haymitch smiles at me.

"It's not a date or anything like that. We are just friends. We are just going to get to know each other and go ice skating and stuff. It's not a huge deal." I tell him in an attempt to clarify that this is nothing more than two friends hanging out.

By the look Prim gives me, I can tell she thinks there might be more to it. She doesn't say anything, but I notice that she is giggling to herself as she looks back at Haymitch who has a smile on his face.

"Prim, I'm allowed to have guys who are friends, okay? Now if you two are done picking on me, I'm ready to watch 'A Christmas Story.'" I tell both of them with mock exasperation.

Haymitch hands out the mugs of hot chocolate and bowls of popcorn and we all watch the movie before we head off to bed.

The next morning I wake up pretty early. As much as I might not want to admit it to anyone, especially Prim and Haymitch, I am pretty excited about spending this afternoon with Peeta. I haven't really spent time alone with a guy my own age since high school, and even though we are just friends, I have to admit that I am interested in getting to know Peeta better.

Haymitch and Prim are both in the kitchen eating leftover cinnamon rolls when I get up. Since I am going to be spending the day with Peeta, Haymitch and Prim have decided that they are going to go out and do some after Christmas sale shopping and go see a movie.

After I take my shower, I get dressed in layers. I put my long underwear on first and then I get dressed in some of the warmest clothes I own as we are going to be outside in the cold all day long. By the time I have blow-dried my hair and applied a small about of makeup, I hear a knock at the door.

Prim and Haymitch left for the mall about an hour earlier, so I go answer the door.

"Hey!"

"Hey Katniss! I know I'm early. I can just wait here until you are ready." Peeta smiles, as he stands outside the door bundled up from head to toe.

"No, you don't have to wait outside, would you like to come in for a few minutes while I finish getting ready?" I offer.

"Yeah, sure." He replies.

I hold the door open so that Peeta can step into the living room. Once he is inside, he pulls me into a friendly hug.

"Wow! You have a nice house!" Peeta tells me as he looks around the living room.

"Thanks, but I can't take credit for it. This is the house my parents bought years ago and this is where Prim and I grew up. This is the only home we have ever known. They left it to us." I explain. "You can just make yourself comfortable for a few minutes and I will go finish getting ready. It won't take me too long."

I hurry back to my bedroom where I finish getting ready by putting on my warmest coat, a hat, a scarf, gloves and boots. Once we are both ready, we head out the door. Peeta's black Mitsubishi Endeavour is parked at the end of the driveway. He leads me to the passenger door and opens it for me to get in before he goes around to the driver's side.

Central Panem Park is on the other side of the city so it is about a twenty minute drive from my house to the Park. During the drive we both talk more about the party at Johanna and Gale's place on Christmas Eve and what we did on Christmas.

When we arrive at the park, Peeta parks his car in the parking lot that is closest to the ice skating rink. The park is actually pretty large compared to a normal city park. It has an ice skating rink, a large playground, a concession stand, three pavilions, a baseball diamond, a soccer field, a sand volleyball court and multiple picnic tables and park benches. There is also a long bike and walking trail that snakes through the park which makes getting to the different parts of the park pretty simple.

We decide to go ice skating first, and since neither of us own ice skates Peeta rents us both a pair. As we sit down on a bench to put on our skates Peeta asks, "So are you pretty good at ice skating?"

"Umm, I used to come here a couple of times a year with my dad while I was growing up so I know the basics, but I'm not a pro or anything close to one. In fact, since it's been almost two years since I've done this, I'm probably going to be a little rusty. How about you? Are you good at ice skating?"

"Not really. I mean, I can pretty much stay upright and glide around the circle but that's about it. I never even learned how to ice skate until I was in high school, and since then I've only been a few times. I do think it's a lot of fun though, and I'd like to go more often. Maybe with more practice I will get better." Peeta tells me as he stands up and holds out a hand to help me stand up.

"Well, practice makes perfect." I assure him.

"I don't know about perfect, but I'll sure try my best." Peeta gives me a hesitant look and then smiles.

"That's all I ask." I say smiling back at him.

As we both step out onto the ice, I can tell that Peeta is indeed a little unsure on his feet so we stay close to the outer wall of the rink with Peeta close to the wall and me on his left. It's surprising pretty easy for me, even though it's been a while. My feet seem to remember what to do as I step and glide next to Peeta, not going any faster than he is willing to go.

"Just take small steps and push forward and try to glide, one foot at a time." I tell him trying to give him some tips.

"That's easier said than done. How do you make it look so easy?" He replies.

"I don't know, I guess it's because I've been ice skating since I was a little girl. But believe me, when I first started to learn I fell down a lot! I know it doesn't seem like it, but maybe if we move out a few feet it will be easier. The ice doesn't seem as smooth here so close to the edge."

Peeta turns his head and gives me a look of desperation. "I have no idea, but if you think it might help I'm willing to try anything you suggest."

As we start to glide out a few feet away from the wall, I can tell Peeta is tensing up so I do the only thing I can think of that might help him feel more secure. I reach out and entwine my fingers with his. He grips my hand in response immediately.

"Thanks for that! You didn't have to do that you know, but thanks! It really is helping having you here by my side." Peeta admits as I feel him tighten his grip on my hand.

"You're welcome. I could tell you were getting tense, so I figured it might help if you had someone to hold on to." I reply.

We continue to go around the rink as Peeta starts to get the hang of the step-and-glide movement of ice skating. After a while he even seems like he is starting to gain some of his own confidence. He never lets go of my hand though, and oddly I'm okay with that. Since it's really cold out, it definitely helps having his warm gloved had entwined with my own, but I have to admit that it's comforting having a new friend at my side that really seems to care about me.

Even though it hasn't even been a full forty-eight hours since we started getting to know one another, it already feels like I've known him for a while. He has definitely been paying attention to me for a lot longer than I realized. And now that I am aware of this, I really want to get to know him better as well. I decide that now is as good a time as any to get started.

"So Peeta, what made you want to join the Air Force?" I ask him.

"That's a loaded question, how much time do we have?" He laughs.

"Hmm, well it's still pretty early in the day and this circular ice rink doesn't exactly have an end so…."

"Well then….Okay, I guess there are multiple reasons. I think the most obvious reason would probably be that I want to serve my country and stand up and protect our freedoms. Then I guess there are my more complicated and personal reasons. I really like that the military will help to pay for my college education when I am ready to start college, so that is definitely one advantage."

"Well that's awesome! College is definitely not cheap. I can attest to that. If it wasn't for the scholarships I received, I don't think there would have been any way that I could have afforded it. I even stayed living at home to save some money."

"Yeah, it's great that you live close to the college, it's almost like you live on campus you're so close."

"I like living at home with my family, though. I know most kids can't wait to get out of the house and go off to college, but I really have never felt that way. We have always been a close-knit family. I was always close with both of my parents growing up, and after the accident there was no way I could leave Prim. And Prim and I have even grown really close with Haymitch. He's basically a second father to us."

"I really admire the relationships that you have with everyone in your family. While I was growing up, my older brothers were always picking on me because I was the baby. And we were just not that close. Even now that we are adults, we still are not close like you are with Prim. My dad and I get along pretty well. But sadly, he's the only family member I was ever close with. My mom, well…she just isn't…..I don't know. It's kind of hard to explain." Peeta digs his toe pick in to stop moving and drops his gaze to his feet.

I can tell he has hit a sensitive subject. He seems to be at a loss for words.

"Do you want to call it a day as far as ice skating goes? I'm getting pretty tired. We've been out here for almost two hours already." I suggest in an attempt to change the subject for a little while.

"Yeah maybe, my feet are starting to feel like lead anyways. I'm still not used to skating. I'm surprised I've lasted out here as long as I have without even falling once."

With my hand still holding on tightly to Peeta's, I lead him around the rink towards the exit. Once we are off the ice, we sit down, remove our skates and return them to the rental counter.

"Do you like hot chocolate, Katniss?" Peeta asks as we exit the ice skating rink and start walking down the trail.

"Are you crazy? I love hot chocolate! I pretty much drink it every day during the winter. My dad used to make it for us every night before bed when it was cold outside."

"I love it too. My dad used to make it for me and my brothers as well. Not every day, but sometimes when we were helping him in the bakery he would let us all take a break and make it for us to dip our bread and rolls into. That's my favorite way to drink it."

"Hmm…I have never dipped bread into it before, I usually just put marshmallows in it, but that does sound really good. I'll have to try it like that sometime."

When we get to the park concession stand, Peeta buys us both a large cup of hot chocolate and a cinnamon sugar soft pretzel. We take our snacks and find a park bench to sit and eat at. After Peeta takes the first bite of his pretzel, he turns to me. "These are not as delicious as the ones that I make at the bakery, but they will have to do for now. You'll have to come by the bakery one day and I will make you some of our pretzels. Believe me, you'll love them!"

"You're that good of a baker, huh?" I can't help but grin. "I'll definitely need to try your pretzels then."

After I finish eating my pretzel, I wrap both of my gloved hands around my cup. Even though the sun is shining, it's deceiving because it is still freezing outside. The thermometer at the skating rink is only reading thirty degrees Fahrenheit.

I can see that Peeta is watching me out of the corner of my eye. He can probably tell that I am freezing, and I'm sure that he is as well. "Do you want to take a walk down the trail? We will probably be a little warmer if we are moving."

"Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea. I'm freezing just sitting here." I reply.

Peeta and I walk down the trail side by side for a few awkward minutes not saying much before Peeta initiates the conversation again.

"Well Katniss, since we are friends now, I think that we should learn some basic things about each other."

"Like what?" I ask a little nervously. The 'friend' thing is what I was never really good at in school, which is why I never really had many friends. I try to shove this fear aside though, because I'm finding it's pretty easy to talk to Peeta, and I do want to continue to get to know him better.

"Like…what's your favorite color?"

"Green. What's yours?"

"Orange, but not bright orange, more muted, like the color of sunset. Okay, when is your birthday?"

"Mine is May 8th. When is yours?"

"August 9th. Alright, what's your favorite food?"

"That would definitely have to be pizza! I love pizza!"

"I'll have to remember that. Mine is probably my homemade apple pie."

"Mmm…you're making me hungry! That sounds like an awesome dinner, pizza followed by apple pie!" My mouth starts to water at the thought of it.

"Well, what are you doing for New Year's Eve?" Peeta asks me.

"I, umm…don't have any plans as of right now, why?"

"I was thinking, that maybe you would be interested in ringing in the New Year together. I mean we don't have to go anywhere special or anything. Either you could come over to my place, or I could come to yours. Then we could make some pizzas and I will bake an apple pie. We could just have a quiet evening together and watch the ball drop. Would you be interested?"

It seems as if he has thought about this before now. And while I'm a little surprised by this plan, I am interested. Prim and I have always been together on New Year's Eve, so I've never spent it with a guy before. Even when I was dating off and on in high school, I was never in a relationship on New Year's. "Well Prim and I usually ring in the New Year together at home; I've never been one for going out to big parties or anything, but..."

"Perfect! That settles it then, how about I come over your place and we can all ring in the New Year together, you, me, Prim and Haymitch?"

"Al…alright. That sounds like a plan. Prim loves pizza too, so I'm sure it won't take much to get her on board with the plan. I'll let her invite Rue too if she wants to."

Peeta gives me a huge smile, so I know that he is excited for New Year's Eve. Deep down though, I can't help but wonder why he would rather be with my family on New Year's, and not his own.

"My dad has never been one for staying up past eleven, even on New Year's, and I'm sure that my brothers will both be downtown bar hopping all night." Peeta explains. It's almost as if he has just read my thoughts. "I've never been one for hanging out in bars, especially on a holiday like that, so I would much rather spend it with you and your family. I have always felt that you should be with your loved ones at the start of a New Year, but the rest of my family doesn't seem to think the same way I do."

"You are more than welcome to spend the holiday at my house." I assure him.

"Thanks Katniss. And umm…I just want to let you know that Johanna told me the other night about the accident and some of what you and Prim have been through in the last few years. I am truly sorry. From what Johanna told me and from what I've learned by talking to you, I can tell that your parents were great people. And I know it has to have been very difficult on you, especially with Prim being confined to a wheelchair and you're having to not only be her sister, but a motherly figure to her as well."

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. Peeta didn't even know me back then, and I can tell that it breaks his heart knowing what happened to my family.

"Thank you, Peeta." I tell him just before the tears start to fall. Peeta opens his arms and I don't even hesitate to walk into them. He holds me while I cry.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Katniss, I wasn't trying to upset you, I just wanted to give you my condolences."

"It's okay Peeta, really. Sometimes I just need to cry, especially around the holidays. It always seems to be more painful to remember my mom and dad this time of year. And it just makes it worse if I try to bottle it all in. I've learned that the hard way." After I have cried myself out, I take a step back and look up into Peeta's eyes. His normally sparkling ocean blue eyes now seem to be tearing up.

"It's okay to cry, Katniss. It is definitely better than bottling your emotions up. Even I cry sometimes. Between dealing with everything I went through during my deployment and what I have gone through because of my mom…" Peeta trails off as he drops his eye contact.

This is the second time today Peeta has gone silent at the mention of his mother. I can tell that for some reason the memories he has of living with his mom are not exactly happy memories. I reach out and put my hand on his shoulder. "Peeta…do you…do you want to tell me about your mom?"

Peeta quietly stares at his feet for a minute before he speaks. "Umm…Yeah, I do, it's just that I haven't really spoken to anyone about her before, well except for my father the night before I left for basic training, and even then it wasn't easy to talk about."

Deep down I know what he's trying to tell me is painful, but I want to be there for him. "Peeta, you know whatever you tell me stays between us. We are friends now, and friends are there for each other no matter what."

"Yeah I know. Okay, well to make a long story short, my mom wasn't very loving and caring towards me when I was growing up. She always seemed to love my brothers, but not me. She told me multiple times that I never should have been born; she wanted a daughter, not three boys. She abused me for as far back as I can remember, but she only did it when I was alone with her and she only left marks where they couldn't be seen. She would pull me around the house by my hair and hit me where my clothes would hide the bruises. But I think the worst part was the emotional abuse. I wanted to tell my dad, but she threatened me and I was too scared to say anything."

"Oh my God, Peeta, I had no idea!" I feel horrible. Even though my parents are no longer alive, I know that they loved Prim and I unconditionally. I could never imagine either one of them abusing me or my sister, emotionally or physically.

"I know. I have never told a word of this to anyone aside from my father. And even then, I waited until I was 18 to say anything to him. Actually, one of the reasons I joined the military was to get as far away from my home as I could. I couldn't take being at home anymore. After being abused for so long, I wanted to prove to myself that I was strong and could overcome this. The military has helped me to do that."

This time it's me giving Peeta a hug. "I'm so sorry that you went through all of that abuse for so many years! I can't even imagine what having your own mother purposely hurt you is like! What did your dad do when you told him about her?"

"Well, my mom and dad's marriage had been rocky for a while, and so when I told him about what she had done to me my whole life, it was basically the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. He felt horrible. It upset him that I didn't come to him sooner, but he also understood that I didn't tell him because she threatened me. The morning I left for basic, he went to his lawyer and had his divorce papers drawn up. She ended up keeping the family house, but my dad got the whole bakery. There is a loft on the second floor and so he lives there. It's a two bedroom loft, so that's where I'm staying right now, actually."

"I'm glad that you and your dad both got away from her. You're both better off without her. At least you have each other."

"Yeah, me too. My dad and I are pretty close now. He is really proud of me for overcoming the horrors of my childhood and doing so well in the military."

"I'm really proud of you too! I am very glad that you didn't let your mother's abuse define who you are, you are so much better than that, and you deserve to be treated so much better. I also want to thank you for serving our country. I don't think our servicemen and women get thanked nearly enough for all that they do. My dad was a Marine and so is my Godfather. They both enlisted together years ago straight out of high school, just like you."

"Thank you, Katniss! That means a lot. And thank you for allowing me to share my past with you. It means a lot to me that we can be honest with each other and that we don't have to hide our pasts from each other." Peeta tells me. His mood seems to have really lifted since he was able to explain about his past. It's like it is literally a weight off of his shoulders.

As it is starting to get later into the afternoon, Peeta and I turn around and head back down the trail to the parking lot. On the way, I tell him more in detail about my internship at the aquarium and how I help to care for the dolphins.

Once we get to Peeta's car, we quickly get in and Peeta turns the heat on high to get both us and the car warmed up. During the drive back to my house, Peeta tells me more about the training missions he will be getting ready to go on after the New Year. Peeta explains that in preparation for his upcoming deployment, he will be continuing to go on various training missions throughout the winter and early spring to different parts of the United States. He will be gone anywhere from five days to two weeks at a time and then he will come home for a week or so in between each mission.

Peeta is currently stationed at the Air Force Base right here in Panem City, so he assures me that when he gets to come home, we will definitely get to spend more time together. He also assures me that we will be able to text and talk on the phone while he is out of town.

When Peeta pulls into my driveway he puts the car in park, but neither of us make the move to get out of the car.

"Well, the van is here, so Haymitch and Prim must be back already." I say

"That's good; you can spend some time this evening with them then."

"Yeah. And I'm sure Prim will play one hundred questions with me about how our day went." I can't help but laugh. "It's ok though. I'll humor her for a while."

Peeta smiles and turns in his seat to face me. "I had a really great time hanging out with you today Katniss. We definitely need to do this again sometime soon!"

"I had a great time too! Now I'm even more excited for New Year's Eve!" I confess.

"Me too! I umm…I am working the rest of the week with my dad at the bakery. He always has a lot of business this time of year with the holidays, but I'll certainly be in touch with you before New Year's Eve."

"I actually am working afternoons the rest of this week at the aquarium as well. I also work on New Year's Eve, but I get off at two that afternoon and I don't have to be back at work until the morning of the second." I explain.

"Alright, I will call you this week and maybe you, me and Prim can go out to eat and see a movie or something."

"Sounds good. Well, I better get inside before Prim comes out here to check on us."

"Okay. Have a good night Katniss! Thanks again for coming to the park with me!" Peeta says as he reaches across the seat to give me a hug goodbye.

"You too Peeta. Thank you for inviting me! It was a lot of fun! Goodnight!" I say as I get out of the car.

"Goodnight Katniss! I'll talk to you soon!"

I make me way up the stairs and watch Peeta back out of the driveway. He waves bye as he drives away and I go inside. I step inside the door and go to close it behind me to find Prim right there waiting for me.

"Soooo?" Prim asks curiously.

"Soooo what?"

"So, how did your day with Peeta go?"

"I had a good time. Peeta did too." I respond as I start to peel off the outer layer of warm winter clothing I have on. "We went ice skating, and then we took a walk down the trail and talked for a while. We basically just spent the afternoon getting to know each other better. Friend talk, you know…"

"Aww, I'm glad you and Peeta are friends now Katniss. He is a really nice guy. You deserve someone like him."

"Thanks sis! You do too, Prim." I say as I bend down to give Prim a hug. "I love you!"

"I love you too! I don't know if you've had dinner yet, but Haymitch is making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for dinner if you are hungry."

"No, we didn't go out to dinner, we just got a snack at the park. So, yes, I'm really hungry." I say as my stomach growls loudly. We both start laughing.

"Okay good. And you can give me some more details over dinner. I want to hear more about your new friend."

"Alright, and guess what?" I ask as we make our way to the kitchen.

"I don't know. What?"

"You're going to get to know him better too!"

"Really?" Prim asks excitedly.

"Yes, really. Peeta's coming over on New Year's Eve to ring in the New Year with us!"

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I will be back in two weeks with chapter four! Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Happy Easter to all of my readers who are celebrating today! **

**Thank you to all of my followers and to all of you who have favorited this story so far! And a special thank you to , TheNightlockInUs, and MrsMellark74 for leaving me a review on the previous chapter! I really do appreciate your taking the time to let me know what you think of this fanfic so far. There is a lot more to come, and I hope that you continue to read and leave me reviews.**

**I also want to say a special thank you to my friend Sam. She doesn't have an account on here, but she has been a huge help to me lately. She is also part of a large military family and it really helps having someone who has similar experiences to bounce ideas off of and to give me feedback!**

As I am leaving work at the aquarium the afternoon of the 29th, my phone starts ringing in my pocket. I pull it out and Peeta's number is lit up on the screen. It's been three days since we spent the day together at Central Panem Park and we have talked and texted every day since then.

"Are you glad that your work day is finally over?"

"Hey there! Either you are here watching me or you have impeccable timing. I just walked out of work." I greet him, wondering how he knows I just left work.

"Hey!" I can hear him laughing on the other end. "Well, I do have pretty good timing if I do say so myself, but I might also be sitting in my car while it is idling in the aquarium parking lot. You may want to turn around."

I turn around to see Peeta opening his driver's side car door. He gets out as I make my way over. "If I wasn't for my good timing I might have missed you, I just pulled into this parking space about sixty seconds before you walked out of the building."

"Oh is that right? Are you stalking me now?" I ask, jokingly.

"No, not stalking, but I did make sure I remembered what time you got off today so I could meet you here on my break and ask you if you'd like to join me for a cup of coffee before you go home." Peeta admits with a look of guilt that quickly changes into a hopeful one. "So…did my impeccable timing and great memory work in my favor today?"

I feign thinking his offer over for a few moments before I answer him. "Yes, Peeta. The odds are in your favor today."

"That's good! I like it when the odds are in my favor. Do you want to ride with me to the coffee shop or do you want to follow me over there?" He asks.

"I can just follow you there, that way you don't have to drive me back here to get my car and you can get back to the bakery."

"Alright that works. I wouldn't mind either way though." Peeta assures me.

"I guess I'll see you there then." I tell him as I head towards my car.

I purposely sleep in as long as I can New Year's Eve morning. I only have a short shift at the aquarium, eleven to two, and I know that we will all be up late ringing in the New Year.

Peeta is coming over tonight at six, and I have to admit that I'm really glad that we will be together tonight. We are not officially dating or anything, but after our coffee break two days ago, I can't help but feel that Peeta and I might be more than friends soon.

We spent Peeta's entire lunch break talking about what will be going on in our lives in the coming year. I will be graduating with my degree in Marine Biology in May and hopefully becoming a full time employee at the aquarium. I haven't officially been offered a position yet, but my supervisor is very pleased with my work there and he has been dropping subtle hints the last few weeks about my future at the aquarium. Peeta is going to be going on his next training mission in about a week and will be deploying this spring. He hasn't been informed of the exact date yet, but he is expecting that it will be in April.

As we were leaving the coffee shop, Peeta pulled me into what I at first thought was just an ordinary hug between two friends, but it ended up being more than that. I still don't know exactly what it was, but as Peeta embraced me, it felt as if he didn't want to let go. And if I'm being completely honest with myself, I have to admit that I didn't want to let go either.

Before I leave the aquarium for the day, I check my phone and find a text from Peeta.

**PEETA:** We are still on for tonight right?

I quickly slide my thumb across the screen to unlock it as I make my way out to my car.

**KATNISS:** Yes! Definitely! You're not trying to bail on us now are you?

**PEETA:** No! No way! I just wanted to make sure before I head out to the grocery store to pick up everything we will need to make homemade pizzas and homemade French apple pie!

**KATNISS:** There's no way I'm letting you pay for everything! I didn't know we are making homemade pizzas? I've never actually made pizzas from scratch before; I have no idea how to make pizza crusts.

**PEETA:** Oh yes you are! I'm coming over your house, so the least I can do is bring what we will need for dinner. Well, Katniss you are in for a treat. Not only can I make a mean French apple pie, but I am also a superb pizza maker. I will teach you how to make homemade pizzas. Trust me; you will never want a frozen pizza ever again after tonight.

**KATNISS:** Alright, I'll get some snacks on my way home. And I'm doing the dishes afterwards.

**PEETA:** Okay. Deal. I better get going. I'll see you at six then.

**KATNISS:** See you then! I'm already getting hungry just thinking about dinner!

**PEETA:** Good! Those words are music to a baker's ears! ;)

After I finish texting Peeta, I put my car in drive and head to the nearest grocery store.

A half an hour later, I am finally home. Prim and I spent the afternoon and evening yesterday getting the house cleaned up for tonight, so at least I don't have to rush to do that now. Peeta will be here in a little over three hours, so I have just enough time to lie down for an hour, take a shower, and put out the snacks and make sure everything is ready.

By 5:30, Haymitch, Prim and I are all showered and ready to celebrate the New Year. Prim helps me to put out the snacks I bought on my way home, and then we join Haymitch in the living room where he is watching the University of Kentucky basketball game.

Peeta pulls into the driveway at about five minutes to six. I quickly put on my coat and go out to meet him. He is getting out of his car just as I am walking down the wheelchair ramp.

"Hey Peeta!"

"Hey Katniss! Thanks again for inviting me!" Peeta says as he gives me an embracing hug.

"Thank you for coming! Would you like some help bringing the food in?"

"Yeah that would be great." Peeta opens up his hatchback and from what I can tell, it looks like he has enough food for a Thanksgiving feast. There are multiple grocery store bags full of different pizza toppings, all the ingredients for apple pies, and a few other things. He also has three large bowls of dough with saran wrap over them.

"I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and mixed up all of the dough as soon as I got home from the grocery store so that it would start to rise before I came over. I figured that way we wouldn't have to wait a long time for them to rise."

"Not at all. I wouldn't have been much help to you with that part anyways. I know we are making pizzas and pies, so I'm guessing that one is pizza dough and one is for pie crusts, but what's the third one for?" I ask curiously as we make our way up the ramp.

"Oh, that one is for a surprise that I didn't want to tell you about ahead of time. I'm going to be using that bowl of dough to make you guys one of my favorite things to bake, cheese buns. They are kind of my specialty. And since most people like breadsticks or cheese sticks with pizza, I figured we could have cheese buns."

"Mmm! You've already sold me on the idea and I haven't even tried them yet."

Once we have brought everything inside, I introduce Peeta to Haymitch and we all talk for a little while before we get started making dinner. Prim and I both help Peeta get started in the kitchen and Haymitch tells us he will join us just as soon as the game is over.

Prim and I work on cutting up the meats and vegetables for the pizzas while Peeta works on making his cheese buns. Once he has the cheese buns in the oven, Peeta teaches Prim and I how to roll out the pizza dough and how to toss it. Prim and I have a bit of a hard time with the tossing part, and I almost drop mine on the ground so Peeta ends up having to help both of us with ours. A very happy Haymitch joins us when we are just about ready to top the pizzas. The Kentucky Wildcats beat the Florida Gators 74 to 71 with a last minute three point basket at the buzzer. He has been a UK fan for as long as I can remember and he always gets really excited when they win.

Peeta has helped us to make four medium pizza crusts, one for each of us to top with what we like on our pizza. This works out great since we all like different pizza toppings. We have them all ready to go in the oven by the time that the timer for the cheese buns goes off. Peeta quickly takes the buns out and puts the pizzas in the oven right away.

"That was great timing! I'm starving!" Prim exclaims.

"That's good, because you all have to try my cheese buns." Peeta puts them on plates and hands us each one.

Prim and I each take a bit at the same time. "Mmmm!" We both say in unison.

"Peeta, these are amazing! The cheese just oozes out of them, and they are flaky so they are not real heavy and filling. These are definitely one of my new favorite foods." I tell him as I finish the one on my plate and help myself to another.

We all snack on the cheese buns while we help Peeta prepare the apple pies to go into the oven. We peel and slice the apples and then mix up the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar for the filling. Then we mix the butter, flour and brown sugar and sprinkle the crumbles over the two pies evenly. Peeta tells us that the butter and brown sugar crumbles are what make the pie taste so great.

The pies are ready to go in the oven by the time our pizzas are ready. I help Peeta get the pizzas out and cut them into slices. Then we all sit around the dining room table to eat. Haymitch, Prim and I all agree with Peeta that homemade pizzas are much better than frozen pizzas or even restaurant pizza.

After we eat, Haymitch and Peeta go into the living room to relax and talk about their military careers and Prim helps me to wash the dishes.

Prim and I quickly get into our usual routine for cleaning up the kitchen; I stand at the sink and wash and rinse the dishes, and then I hand them off to Prim. She dries them and stacks them up for me to put away. While we work we start out talking about how delicious dinner was and our first experience with making pizzas from scratch.

"You're falling for him, huh?"

"What?" Prims comment snaps me out of my daze. I hadn't even realized that I had tuned out and was thinking about something completely unrelated to what we had been talking about.

Prim giggles. "You started staring off into space; I can tell you are thinking about Peeta. You are starting to fall for him." She tells me in a quiet enough voice that she will not be overheard by Peeta and Haymitch. "You have the look on your face, you know, the look people get when they are falling in love."

"Uh…umm…" Suddenly I don't know how to respond. I have to admit, Prim is right, I was thinking about Peeta. Peeta and I have become very close friends in just a weeks' time and when we are not together I find myself thinking about him. _What is he doing right now? When are we going to see each other again? Is he thinking about me like I am thinking about him?_ Sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it.

Now that Prim has brought it up, I am even more confused about what my feelings are for Peeta. _Am I falling in love with him?_ I don't know for sure, but I think that we are definitely on our way to becoming more than just friends. One thing I am sure of is that I have never felt this way about anyone before.

"It's okay, Katniss. I see the way he looks at you and I see the way you look at him. If you ask me, you two are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend very soon. I honestly would not be one bit surprised if he asks you out before tonight is over. There was something in his eyes earlier when he was watching you as we were making dinner."

"But Prim, I'm not even sure what our feelings are for each other, other than that we are friends. The topic hasn't even come up in conversation." Even though I know that Prim is just being honest with me, I have never been very good at talking about my feelings.

"Katniss, you and Peeta may not have talked about where you two are headed relationship wise, but I have been watching you two all evening, and I can tell that he cares deeply for you just by the way he is acting around you. And you may not be ready to admit it, but you care a lot about him too. Peeta is a great guy, and great guys don't come along very often. Just give him a chance, Katniss. I don't think that you will regret it. Besides, you deserve a great guy. You are an amazing woman and you have already been through more than any twenty-two year old should have to go through. You basically put your personal life on hold after the accident and dedicated all of your spare time to making sure that we are okay. I couldn't have done any better myself. You kept us together and you saved us Katniss. I know that. You are truly the best sister in the world and I am so grateful that I have you. I love you so much sis!" Although Prim is keeping her voice very quiet, I can tell that this is coming from the bottom of her heart. "You are so giving of yourself. You deserve for something good to happen to you too. I just want you to be happy, and I can tell that you are happy when you are with Peeta."

Prim reaches up and puts her hand on my arm. "Give Peeta a chance Katniss. Give yourself a chance."

"Alright. I will. It makes me nervous, but I'm willing to see where this goes. I am happy when I'm with Peeta. He's such a great guy. Thanks for talking to me about this sis! I really don't know what I would do without you." I rinse the soap suds off of my hands and bend down to give Prim a hug. "I love you too, sis!"

Within ten minutes, Prim and I have the kitchen back in order and we join Peeta and Haymitch in the living room.

"So what do you all have planned to do this evening while we wait for the New Year to arrive?" Haymitch asks.

"We were thinking that we could all play a game, we have plenty of board and card games." I suggest.

"What do you all like to play?" Peeta asks.

Prim speaks up first. "How about Monopoly?"

I glance at Prim and give her a knowing smile. When Prim and I were growing up, our parents got us hooked on playing Monopoly. We would have family Monopoly tournaments all the time. When we were younger, our parents would often win, or try to let one of us win. But as we got older, Prim and I started to get better and better at getting the most monopolies and getting houses and hotels built on them as fast as we could. Prim and I have so many good memories of spending quality time with our parents while playing Monopoly, so we still like to play it as often as we can. Playing the game together makes us remember all the good times we spent together as a family.

We all agree on Monopoly and I go to get it from the game closet.

When I join the others in the living room, Prim is quickly typing a message on her phone.

"Katniss?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind if Rue joins us? Her younger brothers and sisters all made plans with their friends and she doesn't want to be stuck at home by herself."

"No, not at all. As long as Haymitch doesn't mind, it's fine with me, the more the merrier. Tell her we'll wait on starting the game until she gets here."

Haymitch assures her that it's fine with him. Peeta even tells her that Rue is more than welcome to join our little New Year's Eve party. "Tell Rue there is plenty of food to go around, I made sure of that."

Prim quickly types a response back to Rue and tells us that Rue will be here in fifteen minutes.

Peeta gets the pies out of the oven while we are waiting for Rue. Once she arrives, we all gather around the coffee table in the living room and spend the last few hours of the year playing a very entertaining game of Monopoly.

A little after eleven, Rue goes completely bankrupt after mortgaging all of her properties and Prim is declared winner of the game.

Once the game is all cleaned up Peeta tells us that the pies should be cooled enough to serve and I follow him into the kitchen to help him cut slices for everyone. Haymitch turns the TV on to watch the final countdown that is being broadcast live from New York City and Rue and Prim stay in the living room to watch with him.

I get enough plates out of the cupboard for everyone and Peeta cuts one of the pies into slices. As Peeta puts the slices onto the plates, I get some French Vanilla Ice Cream out of the freezer and put some on each of the plates as well.

Just as I am about to turn around and put the container of ice cream back into the freezer, I feel Peeta's hand on my shoulder.

"Katniss, can we talk?" Peeta asks quietly.

"Umm…yeah, sure." I reply hesitantly. The conversation that Prim and I had in here just a couple of hours previously immediately comes to mind. _Was Prim right about everything?_

"Katniss, this past week has been amazing. Just seven days ago, we hardly knew anything about one another and now I feel like we have known each other for years. I have not been able to stop thinking about you all week. Whenever we are not together, I find myself wondering what you are doing and when I will get to see you or talk to you again."

_Prim was right! He has been feeling the same way about me as I have feeling about him._ I find myself staring into his eyes as he is talking. I'm not sure how I've not managed to notice how blue his eyes are before now. They are the most brilliant shade of blue. Looking into his eyes reminds me of looking out at the ocean. I think I could get lost in them.

"I love spending time with you, Katniss, and I want us to keep getting to know each other better. Even though I will be going on training missions off and on for a while, I will still come home for a week or so between each one so we will be able to spend time together in between my missions. And I can call and text you when I'm away." Peeta reaches for my hands and I don't pull away. He takes both of mine in both of his and continues. "I care about you, and I don't want to lose you when I get back into my training like I thought I did when I enlisted. I have hoped and prayed for this opportunity with you for longer than you can imagine."

Peeta releases my right hand so that he can reach into his pocket for something. He pulls out a small while box and opens it. Inside is a silver Pandora bracelet with different charms on it. "So what I am wondering is, will you be mine, Katniss?"

With his blue eyes locked on mine, I don't think I could look away at this moment if I wanted too. Peeta has just asked me exactly what Prim said he would. I almost didn't want to believe it when Prim talked to me earlier. Maybe I didn't want to get my hopes up over nothing.

"Yes Peeta. Yes I will be your girlfriend!" I tell him. I can feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes and I try to keep them from falling. As much as I am nervous about what the future might hold, deep down, a future with Peeta in it is more than I could have imagined just over a week ago.

"Can I put this on you?" Peeta asks taking the bracelet out of the box.

"Yes, please! This is so beautiful Peeta." I hold out my left hand to that he can secure the bracelet around my wrist.

"I wanted to get you something that would remind you of me whenever we can't be together. I picked each bead out specially. I chose a green glass bead because that is your favorite color, an orange glass bead because orange is my favorite color, a dolphin since you work with the dolphins at the aquarium, a little gingerbread man since I love to bake, a plane since that was the only one I could find that symbolized the Air Force, and the two hearts for me and you." Peeta explains as he shows me each bead on the bracelet.

"Thank you so much Peeta! I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck and he immediately responds by wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me tight.

After a moment, we decide that we probably should get back into the living room to join the others before midnight. I grab a serving tray and we put all 5 plates onto it. I add five spoons and some napkins and Peeta picks up the serving tray.

"Are you ready?" He asks.

"Oh, wait! We need the sparkling grape juice." I quickly grab the bottle from the fridge and a stack of five glasses. Peeta is holding the tray with his left hand and supporting it on his shoulder. I tuck the bottle under my right arm and hold the glasses in my right hand. Then I reach for Peeta's right hand with my left and he entwines his fingers with mine before we exit the kitchen. "I'm ready now."

When we turn the corner to join the others in the living room, Prim, Haymitch and Rue are all watching the countdown celebration on the TV. Rue is the first to notice that we are back with the pie, and judging by the shocked and excited look she gets on her face, she has also noticed that Peeta and I are holding hands.

Rue immediately nudges Prims arm to get her attention and whispers, "Prim look!"

As soon as Prim notices our joined hands, she squeals with delight. "Katniss! Peeta! Oh my God! I'm so happy for you!"

Peeta and I set the pie and juice down on the coffee table and then they all take turns congratulating us. We don't even have to tell them. They all know just by the looks on our faces and by the fact that we are holding hands.

Haymitch shakes Peeta's hand in congratulations and gives him a smirk that makes me wonder if he didn't already know something, and then he embraces me in a hug and tells me "congratulations sweetheart."

Rue gives us both a hug and tells us that she is very happy for us.

Peeta bends down to give Prim a hug and when I see her face over his shoulder I can see the tears that are threatening to spill down her cheeks.

When I reach down to give Prim a hug, she starts crying, but I can tell it's because she is happy for me. She has her arms wrapped vice like around my neck when she quietly congratulates me. "I knew it, Katniss, I knew it! I'm so happy for you! Peeta is an amazing guy!"

"And you were right! Thank you sis!" I whisper and rub her back soothingly before letting go.

At about ten minutes until midnight, Peeta passes out the pie and ice cream while I fill the five glasses with sparkling grape juice.

When the ball starts to drop at one minute to midnight, we all stand up and form a semicircle around the TV while holding our glasses ready to toast. We all start counting down the seconds together. "Eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!"

As the fireworks begin to go off and _Auld Lang Syne_ begins to play on the TV, we all touch our glasses together to toast the New Year and take a sip of our sparking grape juice.

Peeta turns so that he is facing me. "Happy New Year Katniss!" He opens his arms and I immediately step into them as he wraps his arms around me.

"Happy New Year Peeta!" I say in reply as I wrap my arms around him.

Before I have time to think about what is about to happen, I look up and am met with Peeta's glistening blue eyes staring right into my gray ones. For a moment it seems like time has frozen around us, and then I instinctively close my eyes as Peeta presses a gentle kiss to my lips.

In this moment, I can't help but think that there is no way that this is real. This has to be a dream.

However, when I open my eyes to find Peeta staring deeply into mine with a huge smile on his face, I know that this must be real. Somehow, this has to be real.

I immediately return his smile with a huge one of my own and he pulls me tightly against his chest for another hug before letting go.

As I turn to face Haymitch, Prim, and Rue, I am suddenly aware that Peeta and I have just shared our very first kiss in front of the three of them, and at midnight on New Year's.

Haymitch pulls me into another hug and whispers in my ear, "Congratulations sweetheart. I'm so happy for you."

When I turn to give Prim a hug, I can see that she is crying again, but judging by the smile and look of absolute awe on her face, I am guessing that they are once again tears of joy. Prim doesn't say anything when I wrap my arms around her, but the embrace that she gives me says it all for her. She is truly happy for me. She is happy that I have found someone as special as Peeta.

We all finish watching the live celebration in New York City and after it is over, Peeta decides that he should probably get going. Rue is going to be spending the night, so Peeta is the only one that is leaving.

After Peeta hugs everyone and says his goodbyes, I grab the mixing bowls that he brought over from the kitchen and walk him out to his car.

Peeta entwines his fingers with mine as we walk down the driveway. When we get to his car, he unlocks it and sets the mixing bowls on his passenger seat before closing the door and taking both of my hands in his.

"This has been an amazing night Katniss, thank you so much for having me over. I can't think of a better way to spend New Year's."

"I'm so glad we got to spend it together. I had an amazing time as well, and this is the first time that I got to ring in the New Year with my boyfriend." I reply as I feel the blush starting to fill my cheeks.

"I don't think anything beats having our first kiss at midnight either." Peeta smiles and winks at me. "I definitely won't be forgetting this New Year's, that's for sure."

"I don't want to forget." I tell him.

Peeta reaches out and cups my face in his hands as he presses his lips into mine. I reach my hands around the back of his neck and feel the little short hairs in between my fingers as I pull him even closer to me.

"No. I definitely don't want to forget."

Peeta pulls me into his arms for one last hug before he gets into his car.

"Text me once you get home. I'll sleep better if I know you've made it home okay." I explain.

"I understand and I will. Goodnight Katniss!"

"Goodnight Peeta! Drive carefully."

I wait until he takes off down the street before heading back inside. Haymitch has already headed up to bed by the time I come back in the house and I can hear Prim and Rue laughing about something in Prim's room.

Since I know it will be a little bit before Peeta texts me that he has made it home, I head to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth before I pop in Prim's room to say goodnight to her and Rue.

Shortly after I change into my pajamas and settle myself in bed, my phone chimes with a text message from Peeta.

**PEETA:** I'm home. Not a lot of people out, but a lot of police. Had to go through one check point.

**KATNISS:** That's good. Better safe than sorry.

**PEETA:** Yes, that's for sure. Sleep tight Katniss. I will call you tomorrow.

**KATNISS:** You too Peeta. Alright, I'm looking forward to it. ;)

**PEETA:** Till then, :-*

**KATNISS:** :-*

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! After this, I will be starting to move this story ahead in time at a faster pace. Everything so far has all taken place in about a week. I will be back in two weeks with chapter five! Thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I want to say thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this fanfic so far! I also want to especially thank BleedigBlue (guest) and PEetAkAtniSS 3 for taking the time to leave a review over the last two weeks. I am truly touched by how many people are following this already. Thank you! I have so much more of this to share with all of you!**

****IMPORTANT****

**As I mentioned in the author's note at the beginning of chapter two, there are many characters in this story that are in the military. While much of what I talk about that these characters go through is based off of my knowledge (I am part of a very large military family and I have nothing but the utmost respect and honor for those who are currently serving and who have served in the past), due to the fact that this is a work of Fiction, some things have been altered from reality to accommodate the characters and the story, as well as the names of some places. There will be some mention of PTSD in this chapter and there will be more as this story progresses. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know! You can always find me on tumblr and twitter as cchester1985 and I welcome PM's too.**

**Just a reminder, there is some text messaging between characters in this story, and the names of the people sending the text messages are in bold.**

**Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy this chapter! It is the longest chapter yet!**

January

The first Monday after New Year's is the first time that Peeta and I will be separated by more than a few miles in the short time that we have been together. He will be on a training mission in North Carolina for nine days. When Peeta receives the orders of when he is scheduled for training, he asks me if I am willing to take him to the airport so that he will not have to leave his car there. I promise him that I will. Besides, I want to be able to see him and spend as much time as possible with him before he leaves.

As much as I don't want him to leave, I know that it is necessary for his work. If I cannot handle him leaving for a short period of time, there is no way I am going to be able to handle not being with him when he does deploy. This is only a week and a half; his deployment will be for six months. I am trying to think of this as practice for the real thing, just as his training missions will be practice for the real deployment.

The morning that he is scheduled to fly out, I arrive an hour early to pick him up. As I open the door to the bakery, I notice that there are not any customers there yet. Peeta and his father are standing behind the counter discussing something, and as soon as he hears the chime on the door he looks up. When he sees that it's me, a huge smile spreads across his face and he makes his way out from behind the counter to meet me.

"Good morning Katniss! You're here early." He tells me as he tightly wraps his arms around my waist and presses a kiss to my lips.

"Good morning! I know I'm earlier than I told you I would be, but I was thinking that maybe we can have breakfast together before you have to leave?"

"Sure! I like your way of thinking. What are you in the mood for this morning?" He asks as we walk back towards the counter.

"A banana nut muffin sounds really good right now." I admit.

"Mmm! I have to agree." Peeta walks behind the counter to open the display case and he gets us each out a muffin. He places them on plates and hands them to me. "If you want to choose a table, I'll get us both a cup of tea and join you in just a minute. Do you take sugar in your tea?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. I never put sugar in mine; I've always preferred it just the way it is."

After we finish our breakfast, Peeta quickly runs up to his room to grab his bags and after saying goodbye to his father, we head for the airport. Since we arrive with plenty of time to spare before he has to board his flight, I park in the temporary parking lot and walk with him inside. I wait with him in line and after he has his military duffle checked and picks up his boarding pass, Peeta takes my hand in his and leads me to two empty chairs where we sit down together.

Neither one of us says anything for a few moments, and then Peeta breaks the silence by asking me if I am ready to start back to school.

"Not really, but at the same time I am. After the last three and a half years I am ready to be done with school, at least for a little while. I would like to eventually get my master's degree in Marine Biology as well, but I need a short break from school. The last two and a half years have been very difficult and I just need to take some time to get away from all of the stress."

"I don't blame you. School is stressful enough without having to deal with everything you have been through." He sighs and pauses for a moment as if he is trying to carefully decide how to phrase what he is about to say. "Katniss, you have been through more pain and heartbreak than anyone your age should have to go through. And I am so proud of you for staying as strong as you did through it all. I just wish that I could have been there to help you and that I could have been there for you through everything. I know that you had Johanna, Gale, and Haymitch, but I can't help but think that if I would have gotten up the courage to talk to you in school, I could have been there for you as well," he confesses.

I tighten my grip on his hands. "Peeta, please don't blame yourself for not being there in the past. One thing I have learned from everything I have been through is that you can't change the past or try to live with all the 'what ifs' and regret. It will just eat you up inside. I learned that the hard way right after the accident. I wanted to change the events that unfolded that night so badly that I was making myself sick. I kept on wishing that I would have gone to the marching band competition with my family. I kept on telling myself that I should have been in that car too. I didn't understand why I was the only one in my family who wasn't involved in the accident. Eventually my therapist helped me to realize that what I was feeling and putting myself through was something commonly known as 'survivors guilt.' Eventually I was somewhat able to suppress the thoughts of regret and I came to the realization that I wasn't meant to be physically hurt or killed in that accident. I was spared from it so that I could be there for Prim and so that we would at least have each other. She needs me just as much as I need her and I cannot fail her. I will not fail her."

By the time I finish, my voice is beginning to tremble and the tears that I am trying to hold back are starting to fall down my cheeks. Peeta cups my face in his hands and uses the pads of his thumbs to wipe them away.

From the look that Peeta gives me, I can tell that it has hurt him to hear me confess that at one point I was wishing I had been in the accident as well. This isn't something that I usually tell people. In fact, there are only two people I have ever even admitted this to, my therapist and Johanna. I have never mentioned a word of this to Prim or Haymitch. At the time it was not something I wanted anyone to know, and now, two years later, I don't think it is something that I need to burden them with. We have all suffered enough.

The combination of being upset from talking about the past and the stress and worry that I am feeling knowing that Peeta is about to go away for nine days hits me all at once and I start to physically tremble and break down crying. Peeta immediately pulls me into his arms and starts rubbing small circles on my lower back in an attempt to calm me down.

"Shh. Shh. Shh." He repeats soothingly over and over again as he tightens his hold around me. "Please try to calm down, Katniss. You are the most amazing and selfless person I have ever met. You are so strong and so brave. I thank God every day that you were not in that accident. Katniss, you truly are an inspiration to me. You make me want to be a better person."

Slowly, the trembling in my body starts to subside and Peeta loosens his hold around me but he does not completely let go or stop rubbing circles on my back.

"Katniss, I know it isn't going to be easy for either of us while I'm away, but we will make it through this. I know that you have had to be brave in the past, so I know that you are brave enough to get through this. And you are not alone; I will be there for you as much as I can be. Whenever I am away on my training missions, I will call you every night before bed, and we can always text each other throughout the day. I may not always be able to reply right away, especially if I am working on a mission, but I will respond as soon as I can. We will get through this Katniss, I promise." Although Peeta is trying to be strong and reassuring, I can tell that he is worried about me. His ocean blue eyes are like a clear window to his mind and soul, and they have a worried look in them.

Knowing that I am the reason he is worried about leaving fills me with guilt. "I'm really sorry Peeta. These are our last few minutes together for a week and a half and here I am crying the whole time."

"Katniss, you have nothing to be sorry for. I just want to make sure that you are going to be okay while I am away."

As much as I really don't want him to go, I know that he has to and I need to assure him that I will be okay. I can't have him worrying about me the whole time. He will need to be concentrating on his training. I take both of his hands in mine before beginning. "I have never been good at saying goodbye, especially since the accident. The last time that I said goodbye to my parents ended up being the final goodbye and that scares me so badly. Saying goodbye has become such a permanent thing for me that I try not to even say it to anyone. I usually say 'see you later' or 'see you soon' or if its nighttime I usually say 'goodnight.' That's why I've never said it to you. So, would you mind if we don't ever say that word to each other?"

"Oh Katniss, not at all. I am fine with saying something like 'see you soon' whenever we have to be apart. I completely understand. The word goodbye can definitely be a very permanent thing and I would never want you to have to say something that would only scare you or make you more apprehensive about my leaving." He assures me.

With a quick glance at his watch, Peeta realizes that he is about out of time and that he needs to get going if he is going to get through security and make it to his gate before his plane takes off.

"Well I guess this is it for now." He tells me, taking my hand as we stand up and make our way over to the security checkpoint. I am not permitted to go any further with him since I do not have a boarding pass so we will have to go our separate ways here.

Peeta pulls me into what is probably the tightest hug he has ever given me and he buries his face in the crook of my neck drinking in my scent. "I'll call you as soon as I land and every night before bed. Nine days will go bye before we know it and soon you'll be back here picking me up. Please try not to get yourself too worried or upset, I need you to be brave for me and take care of yourself."

"I'll do my best. I know this will not be easy, but talking to you every day will help a lot." I reply in an attempt to not only reassure him, but myself as well.

He gives me a final squeeze before backing away just far enough that he can take my face in his hands and press his lips into mine for a lingering kiss. As we are kissing I can feel a single tear falling down my cheek and when he breaks the kiss he uses his thumb to wipe it away.

"I'll see you soon, Katniss. I promise!"

"I'll see you soon, Peeta."

I stand there for a moment and watch as Peeta gets in line and takes his shoes and watch off and empties his pockets into one of the little baskets. He turns around right before he walks through the metal detector and waves at me. After I give him a wave in return, I force myself to turn and leave the airport and Peeta behind for the next nine days.

February

**PEETA**: Good morning beautiful!

This is the text message I wake up to the first morning in February. I swipe my finger across the screen to unlock it and send Peeta a reply.

**KATNISS**: Good morning! It is indeed! Esp. since I get to pick you up at the airport tonight!

**PEETA**: Any nightmares?

**KATNISS**: Nope, not last night.

**PEETA**: That's good. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again!

**KATNISS**: Me neither! I should get in the shower; I have to be at the aquarium at 9:30.

**PEETA**: Alright. Yeah that's probably a good idea! ;)

**KATNISS**: Haha! You're so funny! ;)

**PEETA**: My flight should be in at 9:45 tonight so I guess I will see you then! I'll text you before I take off.

**KATNISS**: Okay! I'll be there with bells on! :)

**PEETA**: See you soon!

**KATNISS**: See you tonight!

Peeta and I actually started this morning texting routine a little over a week ago, just a few days after he left for his second training mission of the year. While he is away at his first one, I have some anxiety and some trouble sleeping but other than that it goes by pretty quickly. He is home for a week and a half after the first mission and we spend as much time together as we can. We even spend a day shopping, going out to eat and seeing a movie with Prim. Peeta and Prim get along really well. He acts just like an older brother to her. We also spend another afternoon together at Central Panem Park. Peeta is slowing starting to get the hang of ice stating. He doesn't seem as shaky on the ice as he was the first time we went.

After he leaves for his second mission, the anxiety returns. I'm not sure exactly what causes me to start having nightmares, but three days after he leaves I am woken up in the middle of the night by Haymitch. He tells me that he could hear me screaming in my sleep from upstairs. His room is just about mine. I am drenched in a cold sweat and Haymitch sits down next to me and pulls me into a fatherly hug as he rubs my back and tries to get me to calm down and explain to him what I had been dreaming about.

I am hesitant at first to tell Haymitch what I had been dreaming about, but eventually I explain that I had dreamt that Peeta had left me just as my parents had. It is terrifying just to explain it to him. I have had plenty of nightmares about my parents ever since the accident, but never any like this. Haymitch assures me that it will be okay and that Peeta will be back with me before I know it. Once he is sure that I have calmed back down, he goes back to his room. After he leaves, I am still scared to fall back asleep. It is only 3:45 in the morning, but I know that with Peeta two hours ahead of me in Ohio, there is a chance that he might already be awake getting ready for his mission today. I don't want to wake him up with a phone call so I take a chance and grab my phone off of my nightstand and send him a text message.

**KATNISS**: Are you awake?

He doesn't respond immediately so I figure that he must still be asleep. I put my phone back on the nightstand and try to get comfortable again so that I might be able to fall back to sleep.

A few minutes later I hear the chime indicating that I have received a message.

**PEETA**: Katniss? Are you okay? It's not even 4 in the morning there.

I instantly regret bothering him. I can tell that I have him worried so there is no way of backing out of this now. I have to tell him why I am texting him at 3:45 in the morning.

**KATNISS**: Yeah I'm okay. I just woke up from a really bad dream.

**PEETA**: Oh Katniss, I'm sorry! I wish I could be there with you. Do you want to tell me about it?

**KATNISS**: It was terrible, that's why I needed to make sure you were okay.

**PEETA**: I am fine Katniss, I'm safe and healthy. I promise. Was this about the accident?

**KATNISS**: Yeah it was. How did you know?

**PEETA**: I had a bad feeling when you said it was a really bad dream. Has this happened before?

**KATNISS**: Yeah, I used to have nightmares a lot after the accident. But this is the first time in a while, and this is the first time you were in one. When Haymitch woke me up I was so scared.

**PEETA**: I'm really sorry this happened tonight Katniss, but I'm glad that you messaged me. You know that you can always contact me, right? I don't care what time it is.

**KATNISS**: Yeah, I do. Thank you, Peeta. When I realized it was just a nightmare, I figured that you were probably fine, but I needed to be sure. I couldn't sleep.

**PEETA**: It's really not a problem Katniss. I completely understand. I get them too sometimes. I used to get them a lot after I returned from my first deployment. Do you think you'll be okay to try to fall back asleep?

**KATNISS**: I think so, esp. since I know that you are okay now. I'm going to try anyways. Thanks again for responding so quickly.

**PEETA**: Anytime Katniss. I'm always here; you're not going through this alone. I'll text you once it is morning there. Sleep tight Katniss.

**KATNISS**: I'll try. Have a good day of training.

**PEETA**: I will. Good luck with your classes. Talk to you soon!

**KATNISS**: Talk to you soon!

After that first night, the nightmares about losing Peeta the same way that I lost my parents start waking me up a couple of times a week. I don't have them every night, but when I do, I always text Peeta and he always responds back.

As the weeks go on, Peeta and I really start to treasure the time that we are getting to spend together. His commander has not given him an exact deployment date yet, but he is guessing that it will either be the last week of April or the beginning of May.

During the two weeks that Peeta is home in the middle of February, he takes me snowboarding for the first time. Not having ever been before, I am a beginner, but what Peeta lacks in skill as far as ice skating goes, he makes up for on the slopes. He is a complete natural. He tells me that it is because he and his father have been coming here since he was ten.

Johanna and Gale also invite Peeta, Prim and I over one weekend for 'the first monthly taco, game, and movie night.' Johanna, Gale and I used to have these on a semi regular basis when we were in high school and so Johanna asks us if we are interested in making this a permanent monthly get together for the five of us. We all agree that it is a great idea.

During each get together, we all help to prepare an all you can eat taco buffet and gouge ourselves on as much Mexican food as we can eat. We also play all different kinds of board and card games. Then we stay up until all hours of the night watching movies. Since we are always up so late, these nights become sleepovers as well.

Johanna and Gale have a two bedroom townhouse. They sleep in their room, and we let Prim sleep in the guest bed since it is easier on her to sleep in a real bed as opposed to the couch or a fold out bed. Peeta and I sleep on the futon in the living room.

We have been spending as many nights as possible together ever since Peeta got back from his training in Ohio. The nightmares haven't stopped completely, even with Peeta being back here with me in Panem City, and so the night after he returned, we mutually made the decision that it might help to keep the nightmares at bay if we are together during the night. So far it is working. I do not seem to have the terrifying nightmares whenever Peeta is in the bed with me. Nothing aside from a few kisses and sleeping happens between the two of us, and we are both okay with that. At least we are for right now. Peeta holds me in his arms and usually I fall right to sleep. It is both comforting and a luxury to have him with me. I know that this isn't always going to be a possibility with all of his upcoming training missions and the imminent deployment, but for right now, I am glad to have him with me.

March

The week before my mid-term exams and the week of the actual exams Peeta is away on another training mission in Alaska which gives me plenty of time to study.

Exam week starts out great. With all of my research, the countless hours I have spent studying, and all of the hands on experience I am getting with my internship at the aquarium, I feel very prepared to ace all of my exams. I have four mid-terms all together, one Monday morning, one Wednesday afternoon, one Thursday evening and the last one on Friday morning.

I am fairly confident by Wednesday evening that I have aced the first two exams. My high hopes for finishing the exam week out strong are dashed, however, when I wake up on Thursday morning with a very sore throat and a headache. I take some medicine right away, hoping that it will help me to make it through my last two mid-terms.

_Oh no! Peeta will be flying in late tomorrow night and next week is my spring break. We have a bunch of plans for next week since Peeta will have some time off and I won't have to worry about school or homework. Why do I have the worst timing? This sickness, whatever it is, couldn't wait until one week that Peeta is not going to be here?_

When Peeta calls me Thursday afternoon, he can immediately tell that I'm not feeling well. I figured that he would be able to since my voice is scratchy and I don't really sound like myself. I expect him to be disappointed that I am going to be sick while he is here, but he doesn't seem one bit disappointed. He actually sounds very concerned. Right away, he starts asking me what my symptoms are and if I have taken anything. He also reminds me to make sure that I am drinking plenty of fluids and to try to get as much rest as possible. These are things that I already know, of course, but I am very glad that he cares so much about me and wants to make sure that I am taking care of myself as best as I can.

I don't usually get sick very often, so I am really hoping that this is just a little cold. I take a nap Thursday afternoon and then try to review my notes for a little while before I have to leave. Even though all I feel like doing is crawling back under the covers of my bed, I force myself to go take my second to last exam.

As soon as I finish my exam, I go straight home, eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup, take some nighttime cold medicine and get right into bed. I fall asleep quickly and pray that I will wake up feeling better than I did today.

When I wake up on Friday morning to go take my final mid-term I realize that whatever I have come down with didn't get better overnight; unfortunately it has gotten worse. My sore throat is even more painful than it was the day before, I am running a low grade fever and I am achy all over. Despite the fact that I am sick, I know that I don't have any choice but to get up and take my exam. I am very thankful that my last exam is also my easiest and I quickly breeze through it before going straight back home and getting back into bed.

Peeta calls to check on me a little after twelve o'clock and tells me that they have just finished the training mission and that he will be heading to the airport soon. I am usually the one who picks him up, but he is insistent that I stay home and rest. He assures me that his father will not mind picking him up at the airport. I feel terrible that our plans have been ruined, but Peeta reassures me that the most important thing right now is that I get better and do not end up worse or in the hospital.

I sleep through most of the afternoon until I wake up coughing around dinner time. Even though I really don't have much of an appetite, Haymitch warms me up a bowl of soup to eat so that I will keep my strength up. I also make myself some herbal tea with honey in it to help sooth my cough.

After I finish eating, I decide to stay up for a little while and I curl up on the couch with the remote control, a down comforter and a large bottle of Gatorade. Haymitch informs me that he went to pick Prim up for me this afternoon while I was sleeping. He tells me that she offered to cancel her plans and stick around to take care of me, but he assured her that he would be here with me and that I would be alright. I've known all week that her and Rue have had this girls weekend planned for a while and I am glad that she is still able to go. I would feel even worse if I knew that my getting sick caused her to miss out on spending time with her friends. She doesn't always get to go out and do everything that she would like to, so she really deserves this.

I flip through the television channels for a while until I settle on an Adam Sandler comedy. Despite my efforts to stay awake and watch the movie, I must eventually doze off, because when I look up at the cable box the time on the clock reads 10:45pm and a different movie is playing on the television. I get up to use the bathroom and by the time I get back to the couch I am shivering like crazy. I touch my hand to my forehead and immediately know that my fever has gone up. I take some more cold and flu medicine and some ibuprofen and wrap myself up in the comforter.

A few minutes before eleven, my phone chimes indicating that I have a new text message. Peeta texts me to let me know that he and his father are leaving the airport now and that he will call me as soon as he gets home. I channel surf some more until I find another movie to watch and try to stay up since I know that Peeta will be calling.

At about 11:45pm, I hear a knock on the front door. I have no idea why someone would be at my house at this hour of the night, but the knocking continues so I get up with the comforter still wrapped around me and take a look through the peep hole in the door. When I look through, Peeta is smiling at me on the other side. I quickly open the door and Peeta steps inside carrying a grocery store bag and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He is still in his camo ABU so I can tell that he didn't even take the time to change, he came straight here.

"Peeta."

Peeta sets what he brought with him on the coffee table and pulls me into his arms and holds me tight.

"Hi there beautiful!"

I can't help but laugh. "I am in my pajamas with a comforter wrapped around me, my hair is probably a mess from sleeping all day, I am terribly sick, and you still think I'm beautiful. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Katniss, I will always think you are beautiful, because you are, even when you are sick. And I figured since you couldn't come to me, I would come to you. You have your own personal medic now, so I am going to make sure that you get better."

When I start coughing again, Peeta soothingly starts rubbing my back and leads me back over to the couch. As I sit down, Peeta brings his hand up to feel my forehead and the look on his face immediately becomes concerned.

"Katniss you are burning up, we need to get your fever down. Have you taken any fever reducing medicine recently?" He asks.

"Yeah, I took some cold and flu medicine and some ibuprofen about an hour ago. It doesn't seem to be helping much yet, but I hope it starts to work soon. I'm miserable. I haven't been this sick in a long time."

"Alright, yeah it should be helping. If you want to lie down, I am going to get a cold washcloth for your forehead."

When Peeta goes into the bathroom, I lay back and pull the comforter over me, but a few seconds after I lay down I burst into a coughing fit that wracks my whole body. I start coughing so much that I begin to gag, and I quickly sit up and reach for the small trash pail in case I start to throw up. Peeta comes rushing back into the living room when he hears me gaging and he comes and sits next to me and starts rubbing small circles on my lower back.

"I think I am going to have to lay with my head elevated. This coughing fit started when I tried to lie down like I normally do." I admit.

"Yeah, that should help. I'll go grab the pillows off of your bed so that we can get your head and chest elevated while you rest."

Peeta helps me to get settled on the couch with three pillows under me and then he puts the cold washcloth on my forehead.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Peeta says as he gets up and grabs the flowers and the bag that he brought in with him. "I brought you the traditional 'Mellark family get better kit!' I asked my father if he wouldn't mind making a quick stop at the commissary on base on the way here and I ran in a got you some things to help you feel better. For starters, I got you some flowers because every beautiful woman deserves flowers. I will put these in a vase for you in just a minute. Then I got you some more cold and flu medicine because from what you told me about your symptoms on the phone, I was guessing that you have the flu, and I believe I was right. I also got some cough drops and some Vicks vapor rub."

"Thank you Peeta! You didn't have to get me all of this but I really do appreciate it."

Peeta brings his left hand up to my face and uses his thumb to rub small circles on my cheek while he takes and holds my right hand in his. "I wanted to do this for you Katniss. I told you this before and I meant it. I care about you more than you can probably imagine and even though we will not always be able to be together, I am here for you no matter what." The look he gives me with his striking blue eyes makes me wonder what I did to deserve a man like this.

"Now it's time for the rest of your surprise. " He says as he gets up and walks towards the door.

"What? This is plenty; you didn't have to get me anything else." I say wondering what else he has brought with him.

Peeta gives me a wink before he opens the door and steps outside. "What kind of boyfriend doesn't surprise his girlfriend, especially when she's sick, huh?"

I give him a smile and tell him, "You are amazing, you know that right?"

He returns my smile and says, "So are you, now let's get you better."

Peeta brings the rest of his surprises over and sits on the floor right next to me. "I left these things outside so that I could surprise you and so that this would get cold," he tells me as he pulls a bottle of Gatorade out of one of the bags, opens it and hands it to me. "We need to get a lot of fluids into you to keep you from getting dehydrated and to flush this flu out of your system. I also picked up a couple of different kinds of tea."

The last two things that he gives me are a box of assorted chocolates for 'when I am feeling better' and an adorably cute brown teddy bear who is wearing a blue shirt that has a heart on the front with the words 'Someone in the Air Force Loves Me' inside the heart.

"Thank you so much for coming here and surprising me Peeta. It definitely makes me feel a little better getting to see you. I didn't think that you would come here, I was just staying up since you said that you'd call when you got home."

"I'm glad my surprise made you feel a little better, I was hoping that it would. That's why I didn't tell you I was coming over."

"Thank you for bringing me the get well kit as well, that was so thoughtful of you."

"You are very welcome Katniss. I am willing to do whatever it takes to help you to feel better. You are always taking care of everyone else, now it's your turn to have someone take care of you. If there is anything else that you need, please don't be afraid to ask me."

I start to get a little teary eyed when I think back to the last time I was this ill.

Peeta sees the tears in my eyes immediately and gets very concerned. "What's wrong Katniss? Are you feeling worse?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that it's been a long time since I was this sick. The last time I can remember feeling this bad, my parents were still alive and they were the ones taking care of me." I confess as another round of coughing wracks my body.

Peeta quickly wraps his arms around me and helps me to sit up while I wait for this round of coughing to pass. "I'm sorry Katniss. I know that I'm not your mom or dad, but I will be here to help you get through this. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're dad isn't coming back to get you tonight? I don't want you to get sick because of me." I tell him.

"Nope. I told him that I would be staying here. I hope that that is okay with you. I'm not worried about you getting me sick. Hopefully I won't catch it from you, but even if I do, it would be worth it just so that I can be here to take care of you. You are stuck with me." He gives me a look that tells me he is staying and there is nothing I can do to talk him out of it.

Peeta eventually settles himself on the couch next to my head and begins running his fingers through my hair while he flips through the television channels with the remote in his right hand. Ever since I was little, I have always loved it when people play with my hair. It feels like a massage for my hair and my head at the same time. After a while, my eyelids start to get heavy and I feel myself beginning to doze off again.

At some point I must actually fall asleep, because the next thing I know, Peeta has one arm around my back and his other arm is under the bend in my knees and he is lifting me up.

"Peeta you don't have to, I can…" I say still halfway asleep as he starts walking towards my bedroom.

"Shh… It's okay. You looked so peaceful and I didn't want to wake you. Go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He reassures me.

I wrap my arm around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder as I shut my eyes.

Before I fall asleep, I am vaguely aware of Peeta lying me down on the bed before he climbs in and settles himself against the pillows he has piled up against the headboard. The he lifts my upper body up high enough so that my head is resting on his chest and pulls the blankets up around us before wrapping his arms tightly around me. Within a few minutes, I am lulled to sleep by the sound of Peeta's heart, beating strong and steady, right underneath where my head is lying against his chest.

A few hours later I am jolted awake by my own body when a strong fit of coughing wracks my body once again. Peeta helps me to stay sitting up so that I don't start to gag as he rubs my back with soothing small circles.

When this round of coughing subsides, I realize that I must have woken Peeta up when I started coughing and immediately I feel guilty. "I'm sorry that I woke you up Peeta."

Peeta wraps his arms around me tightly and pulls me into him. "Don't be sorry Katniss, you didn't wake me up. I was already awake when you started coughing."

I turn myself in Peeta's arms so that I can see his face, and I notice that while he does look sleepy, his eyes which are usually a bright and stunning shade of blue, are now much darker and his pupils appear to be slightly larger than usual.

"Peeta, what's wrong? Why were you awake?" I ask. The concern in my voice is very evident.

Peeta looks into my eyes as if he is unsure of whether or not he should tell me. Then he hesitates before beginning. "I woke up about ten minutes before you did from a nightmare. It's the same nightmare that I have every so often. I was just lying here watching you sleep. You looked very peaceful."

I tighten my grip on him letting him know that I'm not going anywhere. "I'm sorry Peeta. You should wake me up when you have a nightmare. I always wake you up whenever I have one. Do…do you want to tell me about it?"

Peeta gently starts to rock both of us side to side while he holds me tight against his chest. "I don't want to worry or upset you, and I know what I dream about isn't real. It helps tremendously when I wake up and you are here with me."

I think about his words for a moment. He doesn't really need to tell me, but I am guessing that his nightmares have to do with his fear of losing me. It's the same way with him. When I texted him in the middle of the night for the first time back in January, he somehow knew that it had to do with the accident. I know what he dreads and he know what I fear.

This realization, however, makes me wonder about something else. "Peeta, how come I didn't know you were having a nightmare? I was lying with my head on your chest and I never even felt you move or heard you cry out." I think of the nightmares that sometimes plague my dreams, and I know that I always tremble and cry out in my sleep.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think I thrash or cry out during my nightmares. I usually come to paralyzed with terror and I calm down once I realize that you are with me and you're safe and sound. It's not as easy to calm down when we are not together; I hate those nights because I am usually up for hours afterwards worrying about you and trying to calm myself down."

A wave of guilt washes over me as I realize that I haven't been there for him as much as he is there for me. "Peeta, I really wouldn't mind if you want to call me when you have a nightmare. We are in this together. You are always there for me; I want to be there for you too."

"You're right, we are in this together. I will call you next time. I promise. We should try to get some more sleep now. You need all the rest you can get." Peeta pulls me back against his chest, and for the second time tonight I fall asleep in Peeta's arms, lulled back to sleep by the steady beating of his heart.

Aside from making a few short trips to the bakery to help his dad out and to pick up some extra clothes, Peeta stays with me for the remainder of the week. He really is my own personal medic. For the past two and a half years, I have been so preoccupied with taking care of Prim and making sure that we were going to make it that I basically forgot what it felt like to have someone else take care of me. It takes a little time to get used to, but eventually I realize that sometimes it's okay to just be on the receiving end of care.

By the following weekend I am feeling a lot better, and Peeta finally gets to fulfil his promise to take me out on a proper date before I have to get back to work and school.

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading! Please take a moment and leave me a review! I'll be back with chapter six on May 18****th****!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I want to say thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this fanfic! I also want to especially thank PEetAkAtniSS 3, Blu Love, MrsMellark74 and m1129 for taking the time to leave a review over the last two weeks. I love reading your reviews!**

**I should have mentioned this in the author's notes of the last chapter, but the bear that is in the picture for this fanfic is actually the bear that Peeta gives Katniss when she is sick! **

****IMPORTANT****

**As I mentioned in the author's note at the beginning of chapter two, there are many characters in this story that are in the military. While much of what I talk about that these characters go through is based off of my knowledge (I am part of a very large military family and I have nothing but the utmost respect and honor for those who are currently serving and who have served in the past), due to the fact that this is a work of Fiction, some things have been altered from reality to accommodate the characters and the story, as well as the names of some places. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know! **

**You can always find me on tumblr and twitter as cchester1985 and I welcome PM's too.**

**Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

April

As my final semester begins to draw to a close at the University of Panem, I am just as bogged down in homework and research papers as ever, but I have no intention of letting school get in the way of family weekend at Panem Air Base. It is the weekend after Easter and Peeta's final weekend home before my graduation.

Peeta has graciously invited not only his father and me, but Prim and Haymitch as well. He says that Prim is like the sister he never had and that Haymitch is like an uncle to him.

Peeta picks all of us up at about noon on Saturday and drives us over to the base. It's easier for him to take us on base in his car than it is for us to have to worry about registering our vehicle at the visitor's center. Besides, he knows where he is going on base and we don't.

Once we get on base, he drives us around and gives us a tour. A lot of the buildings look similar and are basically the same color so you really have to pay attention to the signs which tell you what everything is. Peeta's dad has been on base in the past so the tour isn't anything new for him, but for Prim, Haymitch and I this is a whole new experience. Prim and I were too young to remember the Marine Corps base that my father was stationed at when he was still active duty. I know we went there with him a few times when we were young but I don't really remember much about it except that you had to pass through security to get onto the base. After he retired from the military he would go on base once and a while, but I don't remember ever going with him.

Haymitch is sort of familiar with the way things are set up on the base from all of his years serving as a Marine. He tells us that his favorite part of Panem Air Base is all the planes that are on display. Prim is amazed by everything because she has never been anywhere like this before. I shouldn't be surprised that she is most interested in going in the commissary and the Base Exchange. She has always loved shopping. For me the whole base is intriguing. The base itself is in the city of Panem, yet it is completely closed off from the city. Within the borders of the base is its own little community. Aside from all of the military buildings, there is a hospital, a grocery store called the commissary, a small mall called the Base Exchange or BX for short, a post office, a gymnasium, a few restaurants, a gas station and a few places for entertainment like a bowling alley, a swimming pool, and a movie theater.

After Peeta finishes giving us the tour of the base, he parks near the area where all of the family day activities will be occurring and we all get out of the car. Since we didn't bring the wheelchair accessible van, Peeta has loaded Prims wheelchair in the back of his car. Peeta lifts Prim out of the car because his backseat is higher up than a normal car. She is hesitant at first, but he assures her that he doesn't mind and that lifting someone her size is easy for him compared to the amounts of weight he has to be able to carry for his job in the military.

Haymitch volunteers to push Prims wheelchair through the grass and Peeta takes my hand in his as we walk over to where everyone is gathering in the large open area. There are a lot of different things going on, and there seems to be something for people of all ages to do. There are inflatables and face painting for the younger children, there is music playing around a makeshift dance floor, and the outdoor pool is open to everyone. There are a bunch of tables and chairs set up and the air is filled with the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs being grilled. Around the perimeter of the grass there are various military aircraft that you can go in to see what they are like on the inside. Peeta tells us that later on this evening there will be a concert and an air show followed by a fireworks show at dusk.

We make our way over to one of the unoccupied tables and Peeta and his dad volunteer to go get all of us something to drink. While they are over at the beverage table, I see someone approach Peeta and pull him off to the side. We are sitting too far away for me to hear anything, but I can see them and I notice that the serious look Peeta initially has on his face quickly changes into a relaxed and somewhat elated one. Peeta talks with the man for a few minutes and then the man follows both Peeta and his father back over to our table.

"Thresh, you already know my dad, but these three have become my extended family over the last few months." Peeta explains as he hands us all our drinks and makes his way over to me and wraps his arm around my waist. "I'd like to introduce my amazing girlfriend Katniss Everdeen. And this is her sister Primrose, she usually goes by Prim." Thresh comes over to both of us and greets us with a hug. "And this is retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Haymitch Abernathy. He is Katniss's godfather and Katniss and Prim's second dad." Thresh greets Haymitch respectively with a firm handshake.

Peeta explains to us that Thresh is one of his fellow PJ's. They met in basic training at Jabberjay Air Force Base and have been working together since then. Peeta and Thresh go on all of their training missions together and they will be deploying together very soon.

Thresh talks with us for a few minutes before he has to go back with his own family. Once Thresh is out of earshot Peeta tells us that he has some news for all of us.

"Well, I'm sure that you are all wondering what Thresh pulled me aside to talk to me about a little bit ago. He was telling me that he ran into our commander when he got here and our commander told him that they have finally set our deployment date." Peeta hesitates for a moment, and he must see the nervous look on my face because he reaches for my hand and entwines his fingers with mine before continuing. "It isn't when we thought it would be. So from what Thresh tells me, we are going to be continuing going on training missions for a while… It looks like you guys are stuck with me until the Monday after the Fourth of July!"

"That means…" I start.

Peeta gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "That means that I will be leaving on the last day of April for a two week training mission in California and I will be able to catch an evening flight home the night before your graduation." He tells me as he waits for my gaze to meet his eyes. "I'm going to be here to watch you walk across the stage and get your degree."

I immediately stand up, wrap my arms around him and give him a kiss. "Oh Peeta, that's awesome. I didn't think that you would still be here."

"Honestly. I didn't think I would be here either. They have been telling us since the first week of December that we would be deploying again by the last week of April. I have doubted the truth of that the last few weeks though, especially since I hadn't received my deployment date yet. We usually know the exact date at least a month in advance."

After about an hour of sitting, listening to music and socializing, we all decide that we can't take the mouthwatering smell of the burgers and hotdogs grilling any longer and we all make our way over to the food tent that is set up along the far side of the grass.

While we are sitting at the table and eating, a few of Peeta's friends stop by and introduce themselves to us. The first to stop by is a woman named Madge. She is holding her little two-year-old girl Ivy with one arm and she is holding the hand of her four-year-old son Isaiah with the other. Peeta picks up Isaiah just like I imagine he would his own little boy while he introduces all of us. Madge is here with her two young children while her husband Bristel is on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Peeta explains that he met Bristel, his wife Madge and their two children when he was first stationed here at Panem Air Base and they have since become good friends.

While we are talking, I can't help but admire the way Peeta is holding Isaiah. This is the first time I have ever really seen him interact with young children and he seems so comfortable with the little boy just as the little boy seems very comfortable with him. In this moment, it really isn't hard to imagine Peeta being a father one day. If he is this good with children who aren't even his, I can only imagine how great he would be with his own children. The more I learn about Peeta and who he really is, the more I realize how lucky I am to have him in my life. Four years ago, I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that Peeta and I would be boyfriend and girlfriend right now, yet here we are. In this moment I also can't help but wonder if we might be more than just boyfriend and girlfriend one day.

The next three people who stop by our table are Thom, his wife Delly and their little girl Jade who is one and a half. Thom is getting ready to leave on his first deployment to Afghanistan in two weeks and Delly is currently five months pregnant with identical twin boys. As they are telling us that unfortunately Thom will not be able to come home for the birth, I can't help but feel awful for both of them. An upcoming deployment is scary enough as it is, so I can't even imagine what it must be like to know that you will not be there for the birth of your children or that you will have to give birth while your husband is half way across the world in a war zone. That must be extremely hard for both of them to deal with.

Before they all leave, we exchange contact information with Madge, Delly and Thom. They all seem very nice and it might help having other woman my age to talk to while Peeta is deployed who are also going through a somewhat similar situation. I can easily see myself being friends with all of them, especially since I already know Peeta is friends with them.

As evening approaches, we notice that the band is starting to get their equipment set up on the stage and we take our blankets and find a place on the grass to spread them out. From the spot we choose, we should have a good view of the concert, the air show and the fireworks. Between the two blankets that Haymitch and Peeta's dad have brought with them, there is plenty of room for all of us to spread out. Haymitch and Peeta's dad sit on one of the blankets and Peeta, Prim and I sit on the other. Peeta lifts Prim out of her chair and down onto the blanket so that she can sit with us.

There are a ton of dandelions in the grass around us so while we are waiting for the concert to start, Peeta and I begin to pick a bunch of them and Prim starts to weave them into a braid.

"I have always loved dandelions." Peeta tells us. "They always come up out of the ground just as winter is coming to a close and spring is about to begin. I know they are only weeds, but they seem to symbolize something more important. Everything in the ground usually appears to freeze and die in the winter, yet every spring dandelions pop back up; they are the beginning of the rebirth of the spring."

I think about this for a moment. "You know, I have never really looked at it that way before, but you're right, dandelions are the first sign of the rebirth of spring. That's really amazing Peeta. And did you know that they are edible as well?"

"I've heard that before but I've never tried one."

"We can make a dandelion salad one day if you are interested in trying them. They grow everywhere so it's not hard to get a bunch of them at once." I tell him.

As the concert begins, Peeta pulls me into his lap and I lean back against his chest when he wraps his arms around me. The music is a mix of country and patriotic songs and the air show begins when the first patriotic song starts. A variety of planes and aircraft fly by and as the Star Spangled Banner begins three skydivers jump into the sky overhead. When they pull their cords to release their parachutes I notice that one is red, one is white and the third is blue with fifty stars on it. As the band is finishing the last line of the national anthem the three skydivers touch down on the ground.

The fireworks show begins shortly after the sun drops below the horizon. Peeta comments on how beautiful the sunset is as it's his favorite shade of orange. "I hope the sunsets are this beautiful in the part of Afghanistan they are sending me this time around. I really like that even though we will be in different parts of the world and in different time zones, we will be watching the same sun rise and set every day. Tonight, and this moment of me sitting here with you in my arms as we are watching the sunset together, will give me a great memory to think about every night when I am over there."

Peeta buys Prim and I red, white and blue glow stick necklaces from a man that is walking around selling them off of a cart. The band continues to play as the fireworks show begins and it doesn't finish its last song until after the fireworks have ended. It lasts for about forty minutes and it is definitely one of the most spectacular fireworks displays I have ever seen.

As the night draws to a close, I can't help but reflect back on the wonderful day Peeta and I have spent together with our families and think about how much time we have left together before his deployment. July is not that far away now and I'm guessing that the next few months will fly by. Summer always seems to fly by and it is only a couple of weeks away.

The closer we get to Peeta's deployment, the more I am dreading it. We have had four months together since we officially became friends on Christmas Eve and over these last four months we have gone from barely knowing each other to being friends and to becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Over the last month or so I have even caught myself thinking about a real future with Peeta, one where he proposes when the time is right and we are both in love and then we get married.

_I am probably crazy to be thinking like this. After all I don't know if he feels the same way or even wants the same things. He has told me that he really cares about me, but there is a big difference in caring about someone and loving and wanting to marry and spend the rest of your life with that person._

_There is one thing I do know for sure though; I have never felt this way about anyone in my life before. There is something about Peeta that sets him apart from all of the other guys I've ever been with. He is one of the most kindhearted people I have ever met, he has an adorable self-deprecating sense of humor and he is caring and thoughtful towards everyone. On the other hand, he also exemplifies qualities that you would expect from a Marine. He is strong, brave and extremely selfless. He always puts others before himself. Peeta is truly the most genuine person I have ever met and I've fallen hard and fast for him. I honestly think I love him, and I can only hope that he feels the same way about me._

May, Part One

The night before my graduation, I get to the airport nearly an hour early to pick Peeta up. Prim had asked me earlier this afternoon if she could come with me and I told her that I would love to bring her along. Having someone, especially someone like Prim, to talk to helps to pass the time and it makes the long wait for his plane to arrive a little more bearable. I'm also glad she asked to come with me tonight because in between school, working at the aquarium, spending time with Peeta and the long two weeks of studying and preparing for finals, Prim and I have not seen or talked to each other as much as we used to and I've really missed spending time with her.

While we are waiting, we catch up with each other and what's been going on in each other's lives. We both feel that we did really well on all of our finals and now we just have to wait for our grades to be posted online. Peeta's flight is delayed on the runway and therefore it does not land in Panem until 12:10 in the morning. Prim and I are waiting in the baggage claim area when Peeta comes down the escalator. When he sees us waiting for him, he starts walking down the escalator as it's moving in order to get down to the bottom faster. We both step right into each other's arms and embrace one another tightly before I tilt my head up and we greet each other with a kiss. We break apart after a few moments and Peeta bends down to give Prim a hug and a kiss on the cheek. After Peeta collects his duffle bag, we make our way out of the terminal and out to the van. Prim pushes herself and Peeta and I hold hands as we walk.

"Are you excited about graduating tomorrow?" Peeta asks me as we are driving back to my house.

"Yes, definitely! I think I have been ready for a while now. I went and picked up my cap, gown, tassel, and honor sash this morning." I tell him.

"Honor sash?" Peeta questions me, although I'm pretty sure he knows what an honor sash is and why I would have gotten one. He is waiting for me to tell him about my good news.

"Yeah, I'm graduating with honors, Summa Cum Laude to be exact." I explain. I am smiling and when I quickly glance over at Peeta, I see that he is too.

He reaches over and gives my right hand a quick squeeze. "Katniss, I am so proud of you! That is the highest honor!"

I can't take my eyes off the road while I am driving, but I can definitely hear the excitement in his voice. In fact, I think he may be more excited than I am right now.

Peeta spends the night at my house like always, especially since it's been over two weeks since he left and my nightmares have been occurring almost every night. I am very glad to have him back with me, holding me tight against his chest while we sleep and keeping the nightmares away. In the morning, I wake up still wrapped in Peeta's arms and my first thought is that I'm grateful that I didn't have any nightmares. I don't notice immediately, but Peeta is already awake and by the look of pure happiness on his face, it seems as if he has just been watching me sleep for a while.

"Good morning graduate!" He greets me. "Are you ready for your big, big day?"

"Good morning! Yeah I guess, but I would be just as happy laying here with you all afternoon. I've really missed you and this past week has been extremely stressful." I confess.

Peeta wraps his arms tightly around me and begins rubbing soothing circles up and down my back. "Well the good news is that after the ceremony, we will be together for the rest of the day. The bad news is that we both really do need to get up now. I have a few errands to run before your graduation and you, my dear have plans with Johanna and Gale in about an hour. I just texted my dad right before you woke up and he will be here in about thirty minutes to pick me up. We will meet up with all of you at the ceremony."

A half an hour later, Peeta's father picks him up and I finish getting ready for my day. Johanna, Gale and I have plans to go out for a big breakfast before we have to be at the University of Panem Coliseum. It is our personal celebration of having made it this far together. Once I have my dress and makeup on, Prim helps me do my hair in the elaborate braided up do my mother always used to do, and before I know it Gale and Johanna are waiting for me in the driveway. After a quick hug from Haymitch and Prim, I grab my cap, gown and sash and head out the door.

The restaurant we go to is a little busy, especially with the graduation ceremony being today and a lot of people have family and friends visiting from out of town. We have to wait about ten minutes for a table and almost fifteen minutes for our food to arrive. Johanna and I both get large stacks of chocolate chip pancakes and gale gets the country boys breakfast.

While we are eating, Gale and Johanna inform me that they've decided to wait until next spring to have their wedding. They are already living together and have been with one another for six years, so they both figure that waiting one more year won't hurt. Johanna also asks me to be her maid of honor and I of course accept. Gale tells me that he would also like to have Peeta as one of his groomsmen. He has already asked his brother Rory to be his best man, but he would like to have his youngest brother Vick, Finnick and Peeta as his groomsmen. Johanna tells me that she is going to ask Gale's sister Posy and Annie to be her bridesmaids and that she would love it if Prim would be a bridesmaid in her wedding as well. I tell them that I'm sure Peeta and Prim will both be excited to be in the wedding.

Gale and Johanna also ask me how I'm dealing with Peeta's upcoming deployment getting closer and closer by the day.

"Honestly, I try not to think about it." I tell them. "It just makes it ten times worse if I spend too much time thinking about how many days we have left together before he deploys and how I won't see him for six months." I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes just thinking about it.

Johanna must realize it too because she immediately reaches across the table and takes both of my hands in hers. "You're going to get through this Katniss, I promise. And you're not alone, don't forget that. You have Peeta going through all of this with you. I know that you won't be together physically, but you can still talk to him. He cares about you so much, maybe even more than you realize he does. You also have Haymitch and Prim, you're new friends Delly and Madge, and me and Gale. Gale and I are always there for you and we will always be there for you. We will help you get through this. The time will fly by so fast and he'll be back before you know it." Johanna tells me right before she gets up out of her seat, pulls me up out of mine and wraps her arms tightly around me. Gale stands up and gives me a big bear hug as well. I truly do have the two greatest best friends in the world, I think.

At twelve o'clock, Gale, Johanna and I make our way into the Coliseum and check in at the designated tables. Once we have our name cards with our line number on them, we find the bathrooms and put on our graduation gowns and caps and make sure that our tassels are hanging on the right side. We also get one of our classmates to take a few pictures of us together on all of our cell phones while we are waiting. Shortly before _Pomp and Circumstance_ begins playing over the loud speakers in the Coliseum, Gale, Johanna and I split up in order to find our places in line. We are in order alphabetically by our last names.

It is not hard to find my family and Peeta and his dad in the crowd since they are sitting on the lowest level in the area designated for people in wheelchairs and their families. Throughout the ceremony, Peeta waves and text messages me about how beautiful I look and how proud he is of me. When it is my turn to walk the stage, I make eye contact with everyone. Prim and Haymitch appear to be crying tears of joy and Peeta and his dad look extremely proud. It really is a good feeling knowing how many people are here to support me and are proud of me. As my name is called, many people cheer for me, but Prims and Peeta's cheers are definitely the loudest of all. I can pick their voices out of everyone else's.

After the ceremony concludes, I quickly find Johanna and Gale in the flood of people pouring out of the doors of the Coliseum and we set out to find our families. Johanna only has her dad here for her, and Gale's mom Hazelle is here with his brothers Rory and Vick and his sister Posy. It isn't easy to find people in the crowds, and we have to join hands just to make sure that the three of us don't get separated. It takes us a little while to find anyone.

Gale spots his family first when his sister Posy runs up to him and flings herself into his arms. She is thirteen, but she is small for her age and Gale lifts her up easily. His brothers also give him a brotherly hug before his mom embraces him with tears in her eyes. Hazelle tells her son how proud she is of him, and how proud his dad would be of him if he was still alive. Gale's father was killed in a mining accident the year before Gale and his family came to live in Panem City. Hazelle then embraces both Johanna and I and tells us how proud she is of her two 'daughters.' Ever since we became friends with Gale, Hazelle has been a second mom to both of us and she considers both of us to be her daughters. Johanna's dad finds us as we are talking with Gale's family and after he congratulates his daughter and gives her the flowers he bought for her, we all begin searching for my family.

After some crowd searching, I hear Peeta shouting my name from behind me and I turn around just in time for Peeta to pull me into his arms. He arches his back and lifts me off of the ground for a moment before setting me back down and kissing and hugging me. Before he lets me go, he tells me again how proud he is of me and gives me a large beautiful bouquet of flowers. Peeta's father also pulls me into a hug and gives me a kiss on the cheek. When I hug Prim and Haymitch, they are both visibly crying. Both of them are definitely very proud of me. For the first time in a while, _I am proud of myself_.

We all make our way outside and away from the crowds of people to find a place to take pictures. Gale suggests the main lawn where the large brick University of Panem sign sits in between a copse of cherry blossom trees.

It turns out that another one of Peeta's many talents is photography and he has come prepared. We end up spending nearly an hour on the lawn taking both goofy and serious pictures in our caps and gowns. By the time we are done, Peeta has photographs of Gale, Johanna and I, separately and together, with our families and with each member of our family. I believe we get into groups of every possible combination of people to pose for pictures. Peeta even teaches Gale how to use his camera to that he can be in some of the pictures. He ends up with well over one hundred pictures on his camera. Peeta promises to email all of us copies of all of the pictures he has taken today.

As we make our way back to the parking lot, Peeta and his dad surprise all of us and inform us that they have already made reservations for all of us at an Italian restaurant in downtown Panem. Between everyone in our group we have five cars that will be heading to the restaurant, Hazelle's van, Johanna's fathers car, Gale and Johanna's SUV, our van and Peeta's Endeavor. Peeta's dad volunteers to ride with Haymitch and Prim to the restaurant. I am a little surprised, but I don't mind the alone time with Peeta. After we all decide to meet there in thirty minutes, Peeta takes my hand and leads me to where he is parked.

When we get to his Endeavor, he opens the passenger side door for me and closes it after I get in. As soon as he gets in, he turns himself sideways in his seat, cups my face in his hands and kisses me gently.

"I am so proud of you Katniss! I'm very glad that things worked out the way they did with my deployment so that I could be here to celebrate this day with you." He takes my left hand in his right and entwines our fingers together .

"Thank you Peeta! It really does mean the world to me that you are here. Up until a few weeks ago, I was almost dreading today because I was under the impression that you wouldn't be here for my graduation. Having you here with me makes this day one of the best days ever."

A huge smile spreads across his face and he stares at me for a moment before speaking. "It is indeed one of the best days ever, and just so you know…" He pauses and gives me a wink. "This day is only getting started.

Judging by the expression on his face, I know he is up to something. "Peeta, what… what are you up to?"

He gives my hand that is still entwined with his own a firm squeeze before he turns to me. "Do you trust me Katniss?"

Now I am absolutely sure he is up to something. And yet, while I am extremely curious as to what he is up to and what he has planned for tonight, I trust him completely. I may have been confused about what my feelings for him were in the past, but I'm not anymore. I truly care more about him than I have anyone in my past, aside from my parents, Prim and Haymitch. I have definitely never felt this way about a guy my age before. I dread being separated from him and I miss him terribly when he is away. Peeta cares about me and comforts me in a way that no one has since before my parents died. While it scares me to death to admit it, I have fallen in love with him.

It scares me because I don't want to lose him like I did my parents. Losing my parents nearly broke me. I only held on because of Prim. I can't lose Peeta too. It would break me for sure.

However, as much as it scares me that I could lose him, I can't make myself push him away and out of my life. I have fallen for him without even meaning to and I can't go back now. I want Peeta in my life. No, I need Peeta in my life, and I completely trust him not to break my heart.

"Yes Peeta, I trust you."

"Good." He gives my hand another squeeze and pulls out on the road in the direction of the restaurant with our hands still joined together on top of the center console. I don't think he wants to ever let go, and I'm okay with that. I don't want to let go either. "You won't regret it, I promise."

In my heart I know he's right.

**I'm sorry to leave you hanging in the middle of a very eventful day for Katniss and Peeta, but I hope that the next chapter will make up for it! It's going to be a very eventful chapter! We are also getting closer and closer to the events that will truly connect this story to the title and the song that inspired it, **_**We Remain**_**. I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter! If you have a minute, please leave me a quick review! Thanks again for reading and I'll see you on June 1****st**** with Chapter Seven!**


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